GULF SHORES — Scott Smothers, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, is now patrolling the beaches of Gulf Shores as the head of the newly formed Beach Patrol. Smother’s was introduced at a recent City Council meeting by Grant Brown, Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

The Beach Patrol position was formed to help maintain safety on the public beaches and to see that the new ordinances related to Gulf Shores beaches are obeyed.

“He runs the lifeguards, he takes care of the public safety on the beaches, patrols the beaches, helps enforce the new tent ordinance, makes sure there is no glass on the beach, helps find lost children, and helps make sure people are safe when they are in the water,” Brown explained.

Smothers, who is already on the job, said that, so far, the response from the public regarding the new ordinances along the beach has been “very positive.”

“We have had a very active lifeguard program here in Gulf Shores for years, and Scott has been part of it for the past five years, so what this is, is that the council decided to have a little more of a visible presence on the beach and expand from just having lifeguard stands to actually having roving patrols from the Gulf State Park line all the way down to West 11th,” Brown said.

The Beach Patrol will be on the beaches seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., but will be available to respond to an emergency situation at any time.

“If there is a drowning victim, these guys get the victim, would dispatch Baldwin County EMS, they would provide assistance until the fire and rescue arrived.”

Typically, lifeguards are on the Gulf Shores beaches from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, but the new beach patrol will be patrolling the beaches every day.