Latest Rescue Stories
By JOHN WARREN By John Warren The Virginian-Pilot VIRGINIA BEACH Don't be fooled by the lack of precipitation, beachgoers. Tropical Storm Cristobal is not your friend. It's not what's in the sky that you have to look out for - it's underwater. Rip currents produced by the storm have led to an increase in the number of rescues by lifeguards in Virginia Beach and on the Outer Banks recently, lifeguards say . Though Sunday's numbers were not available, on Saturday, 21 people were rescued,...
By Liz Doup, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Jul. 16--If you want a body that looks fit and fabulous, you don't have to look far for inspiration. Hit the beach -- it's the dead of summer, after all -- and check out the lifeguards. Tight tummies. Toned thighs. Strong shoulders. How do they do it? They run. They row. They lift weights. And though these folks watch the water all day long, they still love to swim. It helps that workout time is built into their jobs. They typically exercise...
By Alicia Rimel, The News Virginian, Waynesboro, Va. Jul. 16--The drowning deaths of two people in the Valley within a month should point to the need to take extra care when taking a dip to escape the summer heat, emergency officials say. "Water is a fun thing, but it can also be dangerous," said Hamp Hall, director of preparedness and response for the American Red Cross. "It is not a good idea to swim in unsupervised and undesignated areas. This does increase chances for things to happen."...
By Nate Kelly, Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Jul. 12--Whether it's a matter of more people on the beach or more rescue personnel patrolling the beach, this year is seeing twice as many water rescues as compared to last year's numbers. "The weather plays a big part of it," said Deputy Chief Sean Hughes of the South Walton Fire District. "The surf and wave action was particularly volatile during the spring; this moved the sandbar confi guration and created a lot of rip currents," said...
LIFEGUARDS and police teams are joining forces to make North East beaches safer. Officers from Whitley Bay in North Tyneside can now tune into the lifeguards' radios and quickly become alerted to any problems along the coast. Insp Tony Blacklock said: "Having radio access to the lifeguards means officers can respond swiftly if they are needed on our beaches. It's reassuring for the public to know officers are in radio contact with lifeguards. "It all adds up to us providing a better...
By Katie Curley, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass. Jul. 11--SALISBURY -- Early yesterday morning a line of cars idled, waiting to get into the Salisbury Beach State Reservation as myriad colored umbrellas, towels and chairs lined the beach. On a hot summer day, the reservation and Salisbury center can be a busy place for lifeguards, and this year it seems even more hectic. "I think because of the gas prices, people are staying local and coming here," said lifeguard Kris Reslow....
By NICOLE MILSTEAD Howard Mewes, 90, sometimes gets lost using public restrooms, his son says. That's one reason why Mewes now lives in Mill Creek, a locked-down Springfield facility specializing in the care of people with Alzheimer's disease. People with Alzheimer's and dementia may have a tendency to wander away from their houses or care facilities. Locked nursing homes such as Mill Creek are one answer, but other nursing homes employ tracking devices or alarms in case residents become...
By Jennifer D Jordan WESTERLY -- The lifeguards at Misquamicut State Beach earned their $10 an hour Monday. They pulled nine people out of treacherous rip-tide currents that can form instantly, and drag even strong swimmers far from shore. "People don't realize how dangerous [rip tides] are, and then they get caught all of a sudden," said Bonnie Mello, Misquamicut's beach manager. About 1,500 visitors come to the beach each day, watched by one dozen to two dozen lifeguards. When the...
A number of Utah County agencies, including Utah County Search and Rescue, responded to an ATV accident near Cedar Fort Saturday morning. The injured ATV rider's friends, with whom he'd been camping in the West Canyon area near Cedar Fort, told deputies the man had left the campsite around 2 a.m. In the morning, when they realized he hadn't returned, his friends went out looking for him. At about 9:25 a.m., the searchers contacted Utah County Dispatch for help after finding the man at the...
SEATTLE _ Growing up in Normandy Park in the mid-'70s, Jeff Wiltse spent summers at the pool. All day. Every day. And it wasn't just about swimming. There was Wiffle ball, showing off for pretty girls, trading baseball cards on the pool deck. The pool was where he had his first meaningful conversations with adults (during intergenerational games of pickleball), and Wiltse vaguely understood, even then, that the pool was more than chlorine and concrete; it was a uniquely intimate community...
