LONGPORT – The Board of Commissioners Thursday received accolades from residents and members of the Beach Patrol for preserving the borough’s lifeguard pension system.
The board was considering doing away with pensions for lifeguards hired after Jan. 1, 2026, following a report from the NJ State Comptroller that stated lifeguard pensions are too costly for Class 4 shore towns with a population less than 50,000 people. Although Longport is not a Class 4 town, it established its lifeguard pension many years ago.
In a lengthy report that addressed lifeguard pensions in all three Downbeach towns, the comptroller noted pensions is not a cost effective way of attracting and retaining seasoned lifeguards. The comptroller is recommending the Legislature amend the law to eliminate pensions for new guards and renegotiate with current guards in the system.
“The state needs to scrap the pension mandate,” Acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh said in a news release. “It saddles a small number of municipalities with a significant financial burden, and it just doesn’t make sense to give lifelong pensions for seasonal jobs.”
Members of the beach patrol had a completely opposite viewpoint of the pension system, noting that it is the best way to keep seasoned lifeguards coming back each summer to train new guards and do all the work required to keep bathers safe as they frolic in the ocean.
Several members of the public took to the microphone to thank the commissioners for supporting the guards, many of whom lined the back of the meeting room waiting for their turn to speak.
One resident said the borough’s commitment to the guards strengthens the community.
“I’ve seen first-hand how the presence of seasoned guards builds trust…safety and security that cannot be replicated,” said resident Alison Richman, whose children were lifeguards in Longport.
Kevin McFadden thanked the board for “civil discourse” over the last few months on the pension decision.
“That’s exactly how government should work. It makes me proud to be a resident of the borough,” he said. “Thank you for listening to us and making good decisions.”
McFadden said keeping the pension program will attract future career first responders and allow Longport to have the safest beaches in South Jersey.
A young man who joined the beach patrol this past summer, said he did not realize how challenging the job would be.
“It’s a difficult job,” he said. “It takes years of experience and quality instruction to perform the most difficult rescues with extreme confidence. It was hard to conceive that I would be capable of doing this job without those on the patrol for 25 years.”
Dan Adams, who worked on the Longport Beach Patrol for 32 years, including as chief, until he was appointed chief of the Margate City Fire Department, said when he first started as a guard in 1980, the Longport Beach Patrol was less professional than it is today.
“These guards are exceptional lifeguards,” he said. “That’s exactly what you need. You need people to be here for an extended period of time,” calling the beach patrol a “source of pride and commitment” for the borough.
“No one in the community meets more people in a summer season than the lifeguards do. They are your true ambassadors for the borough,” he said. “You have a leadership today that is second to none. You made the right decision in keeping this pension. It will be a positive impact on the borough in the future to assure you will get the people that are professional – the ones that will care, the ones that will be committed to the future service of Longport.”
Lt. Sean Duffey said he was inspired to become a lifeguard through Adams’ example.
“This summer, we had more than 900 rescues, over 700 first aids and can’t count the number of missing children we found,” he said. “Not all 900 rescues were bigtime, but we practice preventive lifeguarding and will not allow someone to get into a situation where things escalate.”
Some first aids were Band-Aids but others were C-spine injuries and providing first aid until the ambulance arrived.
“We train hard,” he said, “and there’s a lot to this.”
Duffey and Lt. Tim Schwegman were instrumental in saving the life of a woman Sept. 18, 2021, as a tropical storm battered the coast with large swells and rip currents. The woman had no flotation device and was being swept out to sea near the 11th Avenue jetty.
In addition to doing their jobs, lifeguards are involved in the community, he said. They support the Heart of Surfing for Autistic children, host the Explorer Lifeguard Camp, do beach cleanups, host the Doc Turner Swim fundraiser, and have held Mascot races for 38 years.
“Our tradition of lifesaving grows yearly with experience and support,” Duffey said.
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