Palanga lifeguard uses social media to teach beach safety

Palanga lififeguard Kajus Pirožnikas is using social media to educate holidaymakers about water safety, LRT reported. He films people ignoring safety rules and highlights dangerous situations at the beach.

The Pirožnikas name has been associated with lifeguards in Palanga for decades. Kajus’s father, Jonas Pirožnikas, heads the rescue service, while Kajus, who began working at a lifeguard post as a teenager, is now the service’s deputy head.

As the summer season draws to a close, Kajus Pirožnikas said he also felt a sense of relief.

“The forecasts no longer promise good weather. From the perspective of summer, that is quite sad because we did not have a real Lithuanian summer this year. But on the other hand, the work is coming to an end, which is also a pleasure because there will be fewer incidents and perhaps fewer accidents,” he said.

For a long time, the Pirožnikas name was primarily associated with his father. Kajus said he had chosen a different way to build his own public profile.

“My father was mostly mentioned on television, in newspapers and magazines. I am choosing a different strategy and moving into digital media, creating my own identity specifically on social networks,” he said.

He got the idea for filming and posting content online after speaking with a holidaymaker who asked where he could swim without being disturbed by lifeguards.

“He started explaining that he was a good swimmer and wanted to swim deeper despite the red flag. I explained to him why it was better not to do that,” Pirožnikas recalled.

He also remembered the conversation in light of a recent tragedy in Neringa, where a young man drowned after a festival despite being a good swimmer.

Highlighting bad examples

After posting his first video online, Pirožnikas received more reactions than expected.

“I received so much support and so many messages from people asking whether it was real, whether it had been staged and whether people could really be so foolish. Then I realised that Lithuania has a very serious problem with educating people about safe behaviour in the water. Many people simply do not know that such situations happen or why they happen,” he said.

Since then, filming has become his way not only to document incidents but also to educate the public.

“I made it my mission to educate people and inform them so that they can see that this is not the right way to behave,” Pirožnikas said.

However, he said he also wanted to show positive examples.

“Very often I also post positive examples of people behaving correctly and taking exemplary care of their children. I want Lithuania to see not only negativity, fear or fines, but also how people should behave,” he said.

Holidaymakers who are reprimanded often try to argue. Pirožnikas recalled one such exchange in particular.

“I approached a person to politely warn him about the red flag. He pretended not to speak Lithuanian. I said: ‘Listen, I can see that you speak Lithuanian. I can say it in Russian, too.’ Then he started fooling around. I said: ‘Don’t fool around. I am concerned about your health and want to make sure you do not drown,’” the lifeguard said.

By risking their own lives, holidaymakers also put lifeguards in danger. Their risky behaviour can also set an example for others.

“Many people do not understand that by risking their own lives, they also risk the lives of lifeguards when we have to rescue them. They also set a terrible example for others, which makes our work much more difficult. I think that is the biggest problem, and Lithuania needs more education and information on how to prevent it,” Pirožnikas said.

The Baltic Sea is dangerous

Pirožnikas said people also lacked knowledge about beach flags. He had encountered people who still asked where the black flag had gone.

“People say: ‘We are Soviet, we are used to it.’ The black flag was used in the Soviet Union. When Lithuania became free, we joined the European rules,” he said.