A veteran lifeguard who died in the line of duty last year will be remembered for years to come as the namesake of Newport Beach's lifeguard headquarters. The building was dedicated in his honor Sunday.
The Orange County city held a brief ceremony to name its 6,300-foot, recently renovated lifeguard headquarters for Benjamin M. Carlson, who died on July 6, 2014, trying to rescue a swimmer. He was the first lifeguard in Newport Beach's history to die in the line of duty, according to the city.
Carlson was highly skilled and dedicated to saving lives, said Newport Beach Chief Lifeguard Rob Williams, and naming the building, near Newport Pier, after him would remind lifeguards of those values.
"He never hesitated to help wherever and whenever needed," Williams said in a press release. "He loved his job and it showed."
Carlson went missing in July in 6- to 8-foot surf off the Newport Beach coast near 16th Street, where he and a swimmer he was trying to rescue were hit by a large wave.
The swimmer reached the beach unharmed, but search crews scoured the water for Carlson, who was found unresponsive hours later. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. He was 32.
"It's just an utter tragedy to lose a man of that caliber in the water today," said Newport Beach Fire Chief Scott Poster in a July press conference.
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Carlson worked for Newport Beach Lifeguards for 15 years as a lifeguard, rescue boat deckhand and instructor, according to the city.
The building named for Carlson was renovated for $2 million in 2014, building a new training room and upgrading first-aid facilities, among other upgrades.
The city's seasonal lifeguard tryouts intentionally coincided with the renaming of this landmark building.The city welcomed 25 new lifeguards into service.
"Ben tried out 16 years ago on this beach in this event. I remember how nervous he was and how excited he was to be a part of this," father Chris Carlson said.
"We just hope that as a result of this people will look at lifeguards a little bit differently and when they say 'hey, time to get out of the water,' it's not because they're killing fun, it's because they're really trying to keep people safe," he added.
Along with renaming the building, artist Jake Janz is digitally creating a 9-foot-tall steel statue in the likeness of his brother-in-law.
"I've been freeze-framing GoPro images of Ben to capture his likeness," Janz said.
The family will decide the statue's location in the next few weeks.
"His legacy is that he's a hero. He entered the water unknowingly that he wasn't going to come back," Williams said.
