Santander inicia la temporada de playas con un servicio de limpieza especializado y amplía el dispositivo de socorrismo.
The Santander City Council presented on Saturday the devices for the care and attention of the city’s beaches in light of the beginning of the beach season. This season brings new features, including a specialized cleaning service and an expanded lifeguard service.
The Mayor, Gema Igual, shared the details of the municipal planning at an event attended by the Councilor for Citizen Protection, Eduardo Castillo; the Councilor for the Environment, Margarita Rojo; representatives from Cruz Roja Cantabria, who will provide the lifeguard service, and from Playas Santander, responsible for cleaning and maintenance.
With the new contract for beach cleaning and maintenance, the service has been strengthened with more staff and machinery, increasing the team to 30 workers who will work full-time to cover all shifts, including weekends and holidays, with morning, afternoon, and night shifts.
Improvements in infrastructure and equipment are also being implemented, with the replacement of old furniture such as containers, trash bins, walkways, showers, playgrounds, and integrated portable toilets. Selective waste collection containers are being installed across all beaches, as well as solar self-compacting trash bins with sensors for filling levels and digital management.
Renovation of walkways, installation of new portable toilets on all beaches, and improvements in accessibility with the installation of beach wheelchairs, adapted walkers, special crutches, and pergolas for assisted bathing at Los Peligros beach are also underway.
Other planned actions include the renewal of lookout railings, masts, flags, and informative signage, as well as the reinforcement of children’s play areas with the hiring of monitors from June 15 to September 15.
In terms of cleaning equipment for the beaches, there will be two screening tractors, three manual screeners, a tractor with a trailer, two quads, an auxiliary workshop van, an auxiliary vehicle, an inspection vehicle, two open-box trucks, as well as two robots equipped with artificial intelligence.
LIFEGUARD SERVICE
In regards to the lifeguard service, it was mentioned that Cruz Roja Española will manage it, including assisted bathing, during the summer season of 2025, with a budget of 666,184 euros.
"From today and throughout the summer, totaling 102 days, residents of Santander and visitors will benefit from this essential service that reflects our commitment to safety, prevention, and the quality of our beaches," stated Igual.
She emphasized that there is a prepared team to act quickly and effectively in any emergency. "We invite citizens to enjoy our beaches responsibly, respecting the instructions of these professionals and collaborating to ensure they continue to be a model of safety, sustainability, and good coexistence," added the Mayor.
Beach surveillance will be provided uninterrupted from June 15 to September 15, the first two weekends of June (days 31, 1, 7, and 8) and the last two weekends of September (20, 21, 27, and 28), from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm.
A new feature this year is the extended hours for the lifeguard service during July and August at La Magdalena, Primera, and Segunda del Sardinero beaches. This extension will increase surveillance and rescue operations, starting at 10:00 am and ending at 8:00 pm, providing an hour and a half of reinforcement before and half an hour after the usual schedule, staffed by a standby team of 7 lifeguards.
DEVICE DETAILS
The daily surveillance is planned for the beaches of La Virgen del Mar, La Maruca, Mataleñas, Primera and Segunda del Sardinero, La Concha, El Camello, Bikinis, La Magdalena, and Los Peligros. El Bocal beach will have service on weekends.
Regarding personnel, the team will consist of 44 members, including 30 lifeguards, two skippers, two assistant skippers, a doctor, a DUE (University Degree in Nursing), two drivers, four emergency medical technicians-ambulance; a chief beach coordinator, and a radio operator-administrator.
As for equipment, two medical stations will be set up (at La Magdalena Beach and at Segunda del Sardinero Beach) and a supervised adapted bathing station for people with reduced mobility (Los Peligros), which will be attended by two lifeguards.
This service will also be available for family support at El Camello, Primera, and Segunda del Sardinero beaches.
Additionally, there will be a rubber boat, a jet ski, a coordination vehicle, and two basic and advanced life support ambulances, as informed by the City Council.
