Torrox opens applications for summer lifeguard service

Torrox town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol has begun the recruitment process for staff to join this summer’s beach safety, lifeguard, first aid and information team across the town's beaches. The operation will once again feature surveillance drones and dogs specialising in water rescue.

The service will run from 13 June to 13 September, Monday to Sunday, from 11am to 9pm along the entire Torrox coastline. The surveillance towers will be spread across eight beaches in the municipality.

The mayor, Óscar Medina explained that the aim is for Torrox to once again become a "benchmark in Spain" for beach safety and lifesaving. According to Medina, the scheme aims to "ensure we have qualified professionals to guarantee the highest standards of safety and assistance for residents and visitors along the municipality’s coastline".

The company responsible for the service will once again be Provita Sociedad Cooperativa Madrileña, which was awarded the contract worth over 502,000 euros. Grupo Provita Málaga is accepting CVs from applicants wishing to join the operation until Friday, 22 May.

The call for applications is aimed at lifeguards (both water and land-based), nursing teams, healthcare assistants, emergency medical technicians, boat skippers and beach attendants. Interested candidates should send their up-to-date CV to the email address provided by the company: provitamalaga@gmail.com.

The planned resources include two surveillance drones. One will be used for rescue operations and the other for monitoring and issuing public alerts via communication systems. Both will be operational mainly at weekends, when the coast is at its busiest.

Rescue dogs will also be back, one of the new initiatives that made the biggest impact last summer in Torrox. The ‘canine patrol’ even attracted the interest of international media outlets such as CNN, CBC and Sky News, after joining the town’s water rescue team with several dogs trained to assist in towing and rescuing swimmers.

This canine service, coordinated by water rescue specialists, supports lifeguards in emergency situations. The dogs do not replace humans, but assist with the approach, flotation, towing and recovery phases, particularly when people are exhausted or struggling to return to shore.

Assistance for people with reduced mobility and additional needs will include an amphibious chair, two walking frames and two pairs of crutches, as well as additional support from Civil Protection volunteers.

In terms of equipment, the operation will have two pick-up trucks, a van and two jet skis. In addition, there will be a general coordinator and staff with specific training in lifesaving, first aid and the use of a semi-automatic defibrillator.

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