Hampton Beach lifeguard Dan Ryan said he was fired last week after he refused to take down his Web site, www.hamptonlifeguards.org.

On Aug. 12, Ryan says he was ordered by officials in the state’s Department of Resources and Economic Developoment to take down the site. Ryan took the site down as a “show (of) good faith” and waited to meet with officials. That day, he posted this statement:

“This privately owned and operated Web site, hamptonlifeguards.org, is temporarily out of service. It will return ASAP. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause especially for those seeking good information prior to vacationing @ Hampton Beach.”

However, Ryan was informed that he had to remove the statement or face suspension. He removed the statement, but when he found out there would be no meeting with state officials, he put the site back online. On Aug. 16, Ryan picked up his termination papers, signed by local Parks and Recreation employee Brian Warburton and chief of lifeguards James Donahue. Ryan’s brother, Stephen, was also fired when he requested to leave work because of the Web site incident.

Ryan started the site in April 2003 to provide beachgoers with safety information and to give Hampton lifeguards a place to keep in contact and recruit new lifeguards.

“It’s been beneficial to numerous people,” Ryan says. The official Hampton Beach Web site links to Ryan’s site.

“If it was trash, they wouldn’t do it,” Ryan says. “It’s an educational Web site.”

Ryan says state officials weren’t clear about why they wanted the site taken offline.

“I don’t really know exactly what they’re doing. I know this whole situation could have been averted if they’d been reasonable,” he says.

Steve Boucher, a spokesperson for DRED, said state officials had asked Ryan to take down the site only temporarily so that “erroneous and inappropriate” content could be removed and the safety information be posted on the state’s Web site.

Boucher said some of the inappropriate content included a section about beach rules and a mission statement, neither of which were official. The site also has a message board, which Boucher called “completely over the line and inappropriate.” The message board contained posts about “booze cruises” and the attractiveness of lifeguards, Boucher said.

“(Ryan) did a real disservice to his coworkers by having that information up there,” according to Boucher.

After news of Ryan’s termination broke last week, the message board on hamptonlifeguards.org was filled with messages of support for Ryan and his brother. Previous posts on the message board do make references to a “booze cruise” and how attractive Hampton lifeguards are, but it’s unclear whether the posts were authored by Hampton lifeguards.

Boucher said he couldn’t comment on whether Ryan and his brother had been fired. He said the state attorney general’s office informed DRED officials they were “absolutely in our rights” in asking Ryan to take the site down, even though it’s privately owned and contains a disclaimer.

Ryan and his brother, Stephen, were part of the rescue efforts on July 4, during an incident in which two men drowned in rip currents on the beach.

“When the state’s advocating safety issues and increased signage … it seems contradictory (to let lifeguards go),” he says. “It’s taking a dangerous situation and intensifying it. Those rips aren’t going anywhere. They’ve actually gotten stronger in the last few days.”

Boucher said manpower is not a concern at the beach right now.

“I can tell you the beaches are safe, period. In terms of manpower, we have a certain amount of attrition anyway, because of guards going back to school,” he said. Boucher said there are additional signs on the beach warning of rip currents, and the state this week will unveil a safety hotline, with messages in English, Spanish and French.

Ryan is unsure whether he will pursue legal action against the state.

“All options are on the table right now, and I’m exploring all of them,” he said.

He “absolutely” plans to keep the site operational.

“It’s my property, and I have every right to provide information to the public that’s good information,” he said. “If that Web site saves two people, then it’s worth it.”

On the Web:
www.hamptonlifeguards.org