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For decades, the lifeguard stands of Florida’s Space Coast have served as symbols of a vacationer’s safety. But this season, dozens of those stands sit empty, as the county scrambles to fill 45 critical roles — a shortage that turned tragic this week when two people drowned while attempting to rescue a child caught in a rip current.
“Obviously, we’re doing the best we can with what we have,” Brevard County Ocean Rescue Chief Eisen Witcher said. “And we assess as much risk as we possibly can…It’s not that we’re not there, it’s just we can’t be there all the time.”
On Wednesday, authorities were called to a water emergency regarding four water victims at the popular Cocoa Beach. Two of the people affected, a 42-year-old man from Connecticut and a 34-year-old woman from Ohio, were transported to the hospital, but died.
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The adults, who were not identified, went into the water to save a child, the Brevard County Fire Rescue said. It was not immediately clear if the adults were related to the child, who survived. Florida Today reported that the woman was the child’s stepmother, and the man was a bystander.
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Witcher said that the area where the rip current claimed the lives of two adults was not being guarded with lifeguards.
He said that they’ve been experiencing high surf, with waves from 6-8 feet tall.
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“Conditions are starting to subside, making the ocean a lot more calm or appearing to look more calm. But those surf conditions have caused significant damage to the sandbars causing flash rip currents,” Witcher said.
According to the National Weather Center, the Florida coast – from south of Palm Coast to Miami – is identified as a high risk for rip currents.
“It’s very fast, it’s very unexpected, and you can lose your footing very quickly. We watch, we try to prevent that as much as we possibly can in our life-guarded areas. Outside of a life-guarded area, it’s very difficult for people from out of town or tourists to know or understand or what to do,” Witcher said.
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The chief said that the nearest lifeguard was 3/4 of a mile away at the time of the emergency.
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“Right now, we are actively recruiting for more lifeguards. We have been for the better part of two or three months now,” Witcher said, explaining that they have a tryout this weekend. “We’d like to see at least 45 more [lifeguards].
In situations where there is no nearby lifeguard, calling 911 is your best bet, he said.