VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Beachgoers may notice lifeguards are sticking around the Oceanfront a little longer this year. The extended schedule is aimed at preventing the kind of tragedies the community saw last summer.

Lifeguards with the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service will remain on duty through the final weekend in September, covering the busy Neptune Festival. The change doesn’t come with added costs to the city — officials say it’s simply a matter of adjusting schedules.

“Unfortunately, a triple drowning last year on that Saturday, the Saturday after our guards had done their contracted time,” said Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service. “Our goal is by having lifeguards on the stand during the day, having the red flags up … those things might have led to a warning,

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