The Rescue Boats and Catalina Island are under the command of the Rescue Boat Section Chief, with operations based at Cabrillo, Redondo, Marina Del Rey, and Malibu. A Rescue Boat Captain operates the boat with an Ocean Lifeguard Specialist as the deckhand. The Rescue Boat Section Chief coordinates boat maintenance, repairs and scheduling. Catalina Island operations are based at Avalon and at the Isthmus. A Senior Rescue Boat Captain, and a Rescue Boat Captain are in charge at Avalon. Two Rescue Boat Captains are in charge at the Isthmus. Ocean Lifeguard beach service is provided for Avalon, and Paramedic Rescue Boats serve Avalon and the Isthmus.

A Section Chief is in charge of each section and is responsible to the Chief Lifeguard for the operation of the section. Within each section are specific beach areas, each under the command of an Area Captain who is responsible to the Section Chief. An area may be divided into sub-areas, each of which will be led by an Ocean Lifeguard Specialist. The Ocean Lifeguard Specialist is responsible to the Area Captain for the operation of his sub-area, and oversees all Ocean Lifeguards for his area.

It is the nation's largest ocean lifeguard organizations with over 100 full-time and 600 part-time or seasonal lifeguards. The headquarter building used to be the City of Los Angeles Lifeguard Headquarters until they were merged into the County System in 1975. The Los Angeles County Lifeguards safeguard 31 miles (50 km) of beach and 70 miles (110 km) of coastline, from San Pedro in the south, to Malibu in the north. Lifeguard Division employs 120 full-time and 600 seasonal lifeguards, operating out of three Sectional Headquarters, located in Hermosa, Santa Monica, and Zuma beach. Each of these headquarters staffs a 24-hour EMT-D response unit, and are part of the 911 system. In addition to providing for beach safety, Los Angeles County Lifeguards have specialized training for Baywatch rescue boat operations, underwater rescue and recovery, swiftwater rescue, cliff rescue, marine mammal rescue and marine firefighting.