Project Wipeout
Mission Statement
The Project Wipeout mission is to inspire a culture of water safety at
the beach and beyond through education and community engagement.
Overview
Project Wipeout started in 1979 with a mission to “wipeout”
spinal cord injuries at the beach. Today, Project Wipeout continues as
a hospital-based community benefit program dedicated to reducing the burden
of beach injuries and drowning events. Through partnership with local
lifeguard departments, hospital personnel, and nonprofit organizations,
Project Wipeout promotes beach and water safety culture through targeted
education initiatives and engagement with the community. Committed to
evidence-based practices and collaborative programming, our activities
aspire to increase the quality and effectiveness of beach injury and drowning
prevention efforts at a local, regional, and national level.
Project Wipeout Advisory Committee
Project Wipeout programming and strategic planning is driven by an advisory
committee comprised of representatives from local Orange County lifeguard
departments and representatives from Hoag Hospital. The mission of the
Project Wipeout Advisory Committee is to aid the Hoag Hospital Community
Benefit Department in realizing the Project Wipeout mission; serving as
consultants on strategies, programmatic activities, and technical content.
The committee meets several times per year.
Project Wipeout Principal Activities
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Annual Lifeguard Education Conference: Each year, Project Wipeout hosts an Annual Lifeguard Education Conference
for local lifeguards. This conference is a continuing education and training
opportunity for lifeguards to learn from doctors, nurses and other experts
on a variety of topics related to professional ocean lifeguards.
Local lifeguards hear from a spinal cord injury survivor at the Annual
Lifeguard Education Conference.
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School beach safety curriculum: In 2017, the Project Wipeout Advisory Committee engaged in a collaborative
process to develop a beach safety presentation for use in local schools.
Lifeguards frequently visit schools each spring to educate students about
the various hazards at the beach and provide direction on the actions
one can take to stay safe while around the water.
Lifeguards from the Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department deliver water
safety information to an assembly of 5th and 6th grade students at a local elementary school.
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Community outreach events: Hoag Hospital Nurses and local lifeguards frequently attend community
events to spread the word about beach and pool safety.
Huntington Beach lifeguards share beach safety information at a community event.
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Collaboration with drowning prevention, lifesaving, and beach safety partners: Hoag Hospital collaborates with other groups involved in the prevention
of drowning and beach injuries on the local, national, and international
levels. Project Wipeout personnel have attended and presented at the World
Conference on Drowning Prevention, The United States Lifesaving Association
Education Conference, and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance Annually
Conference; and frequently collaborate with the Orange County Drowning
Prevention Taskforce.
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“Eyes Save Lives” Drowning Prevention Presentations for Parents
and Caregivers: In collaboration with Hoag Hospital Emergency Department Nurses, Project
Wipeout developed a short water safety presentation for parents and caregivers.
Nurses, lifeguards, swim coaches, and swim teachers deliver this presentation
at swim lessons, home owner’s association meetings, parent teacher
association meetings, and other locations where parents and caregivers
are gathered. Visit theEyes Save Lives page for more information.
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Californian Water Safety Summit: In 2019, Project Wipeout and the
Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation partnered to organize and host the first Southern California Water Safety
Summit, a meeting of professionals involved in water safety from across
the region.
History