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Welcome to Our Blog

Old Time Lifeguards
Sachuest Beach Lifeguards. Middletown, RI. Circa 1970

Hello and welcome to our first blog post! A little bit about our business - we are a small, family owned business that supplies lifeguarding, water safety and ocean rescue apparel and equipment, as our name suggests. We also sell some novelty items (i.e. surfer and lifeguard Action Bobbles). Our signature products include our rescue boards and rescue cans (better known as the "Baywatch Buoy"), notorious for being brandished by the likes of Yasmine Bleeth, Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff while running the beach.

Marine Rescue Products (MRP) was founded in 1972 by Rian and Susan Wilkinson. At the time, Rian was working as a full-time teacher, during the school year, and lifeguard captain, during the summer. Sue, her sister Diane and various other employees helped to run MRP on a daily basis while Rian continued his teaching career. Following his retirement from teaching in 2001, MRP became Rian’s full-time focus.

As official MRP blogger, I will be concentrating on bringing you some informational and fun posts. While I have a personal connection to the business, I promise not to promote any products for which I don't have complete confidence. Mainly, I'll be looking for some cool stories and fun pop culture references to include. Excited to start my blogging journey with any of you who happen upon this page!

For our first blog post, can you guess which lifeguard in the image is MRP’s founder, Rian Wilkinson? (Hint: Rian is one of the few lifeguards wearing a t-shirt and whistle)

By Bridget Wilkinson