I may have misspoke before I read the horribly written article. I thought perhaps the lifeguard was on duty at a municipal beach being paid by tax dollars. I also made the assumption the EMTs in that county are also paid by tax dollars. That’s why I made the initial police analogy.
Had your initial reading been correct, I too would have agreed with your conclusions. I do agree that the article, as does so much of what passes for journalism today, is poorly written.