Original subtitles

-[theme music plays]

-♪ some people stand In the darkness ♪

♪ afraid to step Into the light ♪

♪ some people need To help somebody ♪

♪ when the edge of Surrender's in sight ♪

♪ don't you worry

♪ it's gonna be all right

♪ 'cause I'm always ready

♪ I won't let you Out of my sight ♪

♪ I'll be ready [I'll be ready] ♪

♪ never you fear [no don't you fear] ♪

♪ I'll be ready

♪ forever and always

♪ I'm always here

♪ 'cause I'm always ready

♪ I won't let you Out of my sight ♪

♪ I'll be ready [I'll be ready] ♪

♪ never you fear [no don't you fear] ♪

♪ I'll be ready

♪ forever and always

♪ I'm always here

-[theme music]

-[jovial music]

♪ it's the best day of our lives

♪ everybody come along

♪ there's a million reasons why

♪ we can dance and sing a song

♪ take my hand and you'll see

♪ I'll lead the way

♪ all these memories will last

♪ for all of time

♪ when today is the past

♪ our light will shine

♪ a reminder of the day

♪ like a picture on the wall

♪ how we used to run and play

♪ and the wonder of it all

♪ take your hand and I'll see

♪ you'll lead the way

♪ all these memories will last

♪ for all of time

♪ when today is the past

♪ our light will shine

♪ [the best day ever]

♪ all these memories will last

♪ for all of time

♪ [the best day ever] ♪

♪ when today is the past

-this is such a bummer, the Kids aren't gonna be able

To play on that beach anymore.

-yeah, no one will.

-yeah, including us.

-it's really scary.

-oh, they don't look happy.

-everybody, can we Gather around, please?

Okay, here it is.

The proposed county budget Calls for a 25 percent

Reduction in lifeguard Expenditures this year.

-25 percent?

-how can we put a price Tag on peoples' lives?

-it's not just our Department. The budget crunch

Has affected fire, Police, mental health,

Everyone has a lot to lose.

-yeah, especially the public.

-nobody's disregarding The public here,

They're just trying To deal with reality.

And our task is to Show them the reality

Of what it would be like on The beach with less lifeguards.

We'll have a chance to Do that on wednesday

At the on-site budget hearing.

-but in the meantime, A plan has been proposed

In case we're not successful.

-layoffs based on Seniority, right?

-not exactly.

Division has decided That instead of layoffs,

They're offering demotions in Rank to certain lifeguards.

-demotions?

-we're already recurrents,

I mean we can't Demote any lower.

-whoa, we're all in This together okay?

-we're not rolling over here, We thought you should know

What will happen if we don't Change some hearts and minds.

Go on, tell 'em.

-thank you.

Okay, instead of layoffs,

Two of our five captains Will become lieutenants,

Six of our lieutenants become Senior ocean lifeguards,

15 senior ocean lifeguards Will become recurrents,

And recurrents will be Hired on as-needed basis

According to seniority.

-summer vacations and Weekends if we're lucky.

-summer: or if There's a heat wave.

-well how do they Decide who gets demoted?

-like stephanie Said, seniority.

-so I'm gonna be Demoted to a recurrent.

-yes, and I'll be demoted To senior ocean lifeguard.

-and matt and I'll Be ancient history.

-I told you, we're Not rolling over here.

We're in for the fight of Our lives on wednesday,

Fight for the lives of the People who come to the beach.

-which brings us to An immediate problem.

Our current budget has run out,

So until a new one is approved,

We have to close some Towers and beaches.

-we can't put a Padlock on a beach.

-people go to the beach On tuesdays in the rain.

-we know.

That's why we're Asking for volunteers.

-we know how much you All love the beach.

-here it comes.

-so if you would like to spend Your days off there, great.

-as civilians?

-on closed beaches?

-yes, in case Something happens.

-if we're not there, And someone drowns,

The politicians'll realize What a mistake they're making.

-look, if we're not There and somebody drowns,

We're responsible, Not the politicians.

Can I see a show of hands?

-[somber music]

I love these people. Don't You love these people?

-I love these people.

-[somber music]

-I've come to the Beach all my life,

But it's never been This beautiful.

-you're beautiful.

-because I'm happy. [giggling]

-matt: come on, It's gonna be fun.

How often do we get a chance To have a picnic on the beach?

-well, if we lose our jobs, We'll have lots of chances.

Except we won't have any Money to buy any food.

-[gentle music]

-what are you looking for?

-you'll see. You'll see.

Come on.

-[gentle music]

I wanted to give you this In the most romantic place

That I could think of.

Julia, I love you.

I wanna marry you.

-david!

Oh no! I'm sorry, david!

-it's okay, it's okay.

Don't worry. Don't worry. I'll get it. I'll get it.

Stay here.

-do you see it?

-david: not from here.

-matt: get away from the edge!

Get back!

-[dramatic music]

-stay out of the water!

-my boyfriend's down there.

-summer: all right. It's okay. Come with me. We'll get him.

-[dramatic music]

-stay right here.

-[dramatic music]

-oh no.

Oh, god, please.

David.

-ready, one, two, Three, four, five!

Breathe!

One, two, three, four, five!

Breathe!

One, two, three, four, five!

Breathe, david!

One, two, three, four, five!

One, two, three, four, five!

Breathe!

One, two, three, four, five!

-[crying]

Oh thank god, david.

-matt: let him breathe.

-it's okay. He's gonna be okay.

-whatever's in your hand Almost cost you your life.

-wow, these are Very good charts.

-yeah they are.

-yeah, impressive.

I think they're impressive.

-so do I.

-absolutely, very impressive.

-can you find the Drowning victim?

-of course.

-can't you read, Lifeguards do it every day.

It's, uh-- it's him.

-nope.

-okay, it's her.

-c.J., no.

-I found him, there.

-mitch, he's on the beach.

-right there, look. It's definitely him.

Look, the striped shirt, That's definitely waldo.

-stephanie: waldo.

-wow, did we really Save that many people?

-11,729, those are Accurate statistics.

-I know, it's Staggering to see it

Up there in black and white.

Over 58 million people To our beaches last year.

-that's more than went to Disneyland, magic mountain,

And knott's berry farm combined.

-it's tough economic times,

The beach becomes the only Affordable family entertainment.

-yeah, but because of Tough economic times,

We can't afford to Keep the beaches open.

-well, we have to.

We have to get these Supervisors down here,

Take a look at these Charts and see that

Cutting back lifeguards is Just an invitation to disaster.

-everybody's got charts And impressive statistics.

We need something That's more dramatic.

We need to shake these guys up.

-we could put the Supervisors in a rip current

And let it take them out to sea.

-yes. -[laughing]

-that's a step in The right direction.

-and have no lifeguards There to pull them out.

-that's right, See how it feels.

Let 'em feel the panic,

And feel the relief when a Lifeguard gets to 'em in time.

-stephanie: what happened?

-this is david and julia. They just got engaged.

-congratulations.

-david lost a Ring in the water.

-it was like in that movie, It's a wonderful life.

If they hadn't been there, It all would have ended.

There'd be no Engagement, no marriage,

No family, No future at all if...

It hadn't been for them.

-[dramatic music]

-what are you two Doing on wednesday?

-first of all, Thank you for coming,

And welcome to the beach.

My name is lieutenant Mitch buchannon

And this lieutenant Stephanie holden.

-hi, welcome to baywatch.

-thank you.

-thank you.

-we wanted to have this on-site Budget hearing at the beach

So you can get the Feeling of what it's like

To be in our environment.

Also, we wanted to give you A chance to enjoy the sun,

The relaxing sound of The surf, and the beach.

And that's why people come here, To put their worries aside,

To relax and have a good time.

-if you look to your left And then to your right,

You'll see lifeguard Towers every 200 yards.

They go on like This for 73 miles.

That's 73 miles of beaches That we have to safeguard.

We used to open every Tower on crowded days,

Now we're lucky if we Open every other tower.

If the proposed budget Cutbacks become a reality,

Then one lifeguard will be Responsible for all the people

On the beach between These two jetties.

One lifeguard, that's one Lifeguard for 6,000 people.

-I was talking to a Lifeguard training officer

From new zealand, And he asked me

How many drownings we had.

When I said two he asked me

If that was a Particularly bad weekend.

I completely blew his Mind when I told him

That that was for The entire year.

He said that they have

More drownings than That in a bad day.

I mean just goes to Show you how good

Our lifeguarding program Is when you consider

That nearly 60 million people Came to our beaches last year

And in new zealand, there's only

Three million people In the entire country.

-all of us are Aware how exceptional

Our lifeguard department Is. As you know,

Ours is a simple Problem of economics.

-I understand, but closing Beaches and reducing services

Could cost more money In the long run.

When you consider that Our lifeguard department

Just comprises one Tenth of one percent

Of the county budget, It's easy to see

That just one liability lawsuit Due to personnel cutbacks

Could negate any Potential savings.

-may I say something?

-absolutely, this is senior Ocean lifeguard c.J. Parker.

-that's right, I'm a lifeguard.

All of us here in Red are lifeguards.

Life guards, think about it.

Most people don't Trust anyone these days

But they come to the Beach and they trust us

With the most important Thing they have, their lives.

And if we're not here to protect Them, lives will be lost.

Simple economics? I don't think so.

-as you can see we're all very Passionate about what we do.

Passion is one thing, Statistics are another.

Over the last 15 years 160,000 lives were saved

By lifeguards, 160,000 lives.

That is the population Of a good sized city.

And like most cities, rescue City is made up of individuals,

Individuals who have Hopes, dreams, families,

Lives that touch other lives.

People who will be missed By others if they're gone.

Some of these people Are here today.

Some of these people Are here today because

Lifeguards were there When they needed them.

-my name is david lindemann,

And this is my Fiance, julia ward.

-we're alive because Two wonderful lifeguards

Were at the beach last week.

-david: when They were off-duty.

-we didn't notice the Beach closed signs.

I mean, who expects a Beach to be closed.

-I'm governor george dickson, But I'm not here today

As a former governor, I'm here as a person

Whose life was saved by the Heroic actions of lifeguards,

Who put their own lives at Risk to save mine and the lives

Of thousands of other People who were on the pier

Listening to me speak About the environment.

Now this was not an Accidental drowning,

This was an Assassination attempt.

We cannot continue to abuse Our natural resources,

But the turnaround does Not begin in washington.

-[beeping]

-[rock music]

-they got this Thing on auto-pilot.

Looks like everything's Wired, steering, throttle,

Touch the wrong Wire we're history.

-look out, mitch!

-maybe I can turn The engine by hand.

-[rock music]

-[applause]

-the turnaround does not begin In washington, or in tokyo.

I'd hate to think what Would have happened

If these lifeguards had Not had the wave runners

And the boats that proposed Budget cutbacks would eliminate.

Our beaches are one of the Greatest tourist attractions

In the state. Just Imagine the impact

If people started to die Because the beaches were unsafe.

-my name is charlie dupree.

About two years ago I Was homeless and living

In a condemned building Here at the beach.

I don't know where I'd have ended up

If I didn't meet hobie. His father's a lifeguard.

Although I guess Where I probably

Would have ended up is dead.

-[screaming]

[screaming] Help!

-[gasping]

-it's okay.

I got ya.

She's all right.

-I just wanted to say that I'm not homeless anymore.

The lifeguards helped My mother find a job

And I'm going to school now.

And I really hope you Don't take away the money

The lifeguards need to Save kids from drowning,

And I don't just Mean in the water.

-my son did drown in the water.

He was pulled from Shore by a rip tide

That dragged him and His brother out to sea.

He was submerged for Over three minutes.

-they found him.

They've got him.

-is he all right?

-mitch: one, two, Three, four, five.

-c.J.: there's no respiration.

-no pulse.

-where's the ambu bag?

-come on bobby.

One, two, three, four, five.

Two, three, four, five. -patient's approximately A ten year old male.

He's 90-95 pounds.

No respiration and We've started cpr.

-attaching defibrillator.

Pads on.

Prepping bp.

-one, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

Come on, bobby! Come on, bobby!

-analyzing.

-machine: stand Clear. Stand clear.

Press to shock. Press to shock.

-my son was pronounced dead,

But the lifeguards, they just...

They wouldn't accept it.

They brought him back to life.

I can't even imagine The depth of pain

My family would have suffered If they hadn't been there.

-in the hospital, when I Woke up, there was a marble

In my hand that mitch Gave me for good luck.

You hold it when you want Something really bad.

Please don't make it so Kids can't come to the beach

Without somebody there To make it safe for them.

I still think the beach Is the best place.

Thank you.

-it's the middle of the Night in february.

The water was freezing, a Fisherman reports a lady

+in the water off the pier.

Time for a wetsuit? Yeah right.

I didn't even have Time to think.

It was off the end of The pier and grab her

Before she sank to the bottom.

We started cpr and we Managed to bring her back.

I don't know why they Gave me a commendation.

I was just doing my job.

Thank you.

-my name is memo urueta.

I used to be in a gang. We'd come down the beach

And get away with Whatever we could

Until the lifeguards Here stopped us.

My beach, flaco.

-don't see no signs.

-1016, gang bangers on The beach, give me backup.

-we're gonna have to Cut those signs down.

-then they gave us a choice,

Jail or something called The water program.

It stands for Water awareness training Education and recruitment.

It's so inner-city kids Will have a chance to learn

About the beach and Gain some self respect.

Let me tell you. It's Hard, but it works.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

Come on, dad. One, two, three, four.

Papa. -mijo, mijo.

-lifeguards saved my butt.

There's no way I'd be alive Right now without them

Pulling me out of The mess I was in.

No way I'd be back in school, With a future ahead of me.

For every dollar you Put into these programs,

You'll save two fighting Crime on the streets.

-take top level athletes, and Train them in everything from

Scuba to boat operations to Cliff rescues to paramedics,

And you have lifeguards Who can effectively deal

With drownings, plane Crashes, swift water rescues,

Diving emergencies, heart Attacks, boat fires.

-my baby! My baby!

My baby!

Somebody help me, my baby!

My baby!

-go get them. I'll Go after the girl.

-my baby, she might drown!

She might drown!

-you got it, chief!

-oh, my little girl!

-okay. You ready?

One, two three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

-[coughing]

-[cheering]

-okay, sweetheart. You're gonna be fine.

-it's scary when You're drowning.

You can't breathe, and you Can't get back up to the air.

-my husband and I Don't have much money,

But we would be more than Willing to pay our share

To make sure there are enough Lifeguards on the beach.

We'd find the money somewhere, That is if you can't.

-my name is morgan hooper,

And this is mitchell.

He was named after the Lifeguard who rescued me

Off some rocks that I was Stuck on when the tide came in.

-all right.

Go on. Go, go.

-mitch look out, a wave.

Mitch look out!

-mitch!

Norman, mitch is in trouble.

Mitch!

I've got you. I got you.

You'll be okay.

-I can't-- I can't move my legs.

-hold on.

Don't lift his legs! Be careful of his legs.

-okay, hold him. I'll get the backboard.

-all right, just Keep on his head.

Just keep on his head.

-okay, okay.

-okay, real good. We're gonna get you On a backboard.

-easy, easy.

Easy, easy.

-stephanie: okay mitch.

-this man risked His life for me.

He was almost Permanently paralyzed.

If it wasn't for him and The other lifeguards,

My baby wouldn't be here.

-hey, buddy.

Hey, little mitchell.

If these people are willing To sacrifice their lives,

I think we should sacrifice Whatever we have to

So that they can Get their jobs done.

-well, I think it's about Time that we wrapped this up.

I know it's getting Hot out and we've

Hit you over the Head pretty hard.

But before you go we'd Like to thank you for,

Well, for giving us an Opportunity to have a reunion

With some of the people Whose lives we've touched.

Would everyone who was Rescued by a lifeguard

Please stand by the Lifeguard who saved you.

-excuse me.

I guess the bottom Line here is that

With lifeguards on the Beach, people will live.

Without them, people will die.

Thanks for coming.

-well?

-let's open it together, huh?

-oh, they cut captains.

-yeah, yeah but They've increased

Lieutenants, dive Teams, rescue boats.

-I don't believe it.

-look at this number.

There are more Increases than cuts.

-where'd they get the money?

-proposition 172,

They allocated funds From proposition 172,

The people have spoken.

-I can't wait to Tell everybody.

-[gentle music]

♪ out of breath and falling down

♪ feeling like you're gonna drown

♪ when a life is on the line

♪ I'll join in the fight

♪ you don't have to be alone

♪ you don't have to worry ♪ I know that you're hurting

♪ use my strength to carry on

♪ can't bring us down or stop us

♪ now we're running toward the fire

♪ we are stronger when we're standing

♪ side-by-side

♪ we'll turn the tide

♪ nothing can hold us back

♪ when we feel under attack

♪ if life is getting crazy

♪ and you're needing saving

♪ you know just where I'll be

♪ forget about the distance

♪ I know we can do this

♪ I'd swim across the sea

♪ standing side by side

♪ we're running toward the fire

♪ we are stronger when we're standing

♪ side-by-side

♪ standing side-by-side ♪ we"Ll turn the tide

-[ending theme music]