Longboat Key Fire Rescue warns beachgoers of rip currents

The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department had multiple calls Tuesday to rescue three people after rip currents pulled them into the Gulf of Mexico’s deep waters.

It’s more than rescue crews typically see in Longboat Key, according to Fire Chief Paul Dezzi.

“I mean, that’s a lot,” Dezzi said. “That was actually three in one day because of the conditions of the water.”

Crews saved two of the people, but Dezzi said a man in his 70s drowned.

“People when they’re visiting and even if they are residents here, they need to be really cautious when they’re going to the beach,” Dezzi said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says rip currents form when waves break near the shoreline, piling up water between the breaking waves and the beach. One of the ways the water returns to the Gulf of Mexico is to form a rip current, a narrow stream of water moving away from shore, often perpendicular to the shoreline. Rip currents can sweep even the strongest swimmers away from shore.

“If you get caught into a rip current, the best thing for you to do is ride with it, but at the same time, swim out of it, swim parallel to the beach,” Dezzi said.

Bystanders should call 911 if someone is in danger, but can also advise the person caught in a current to swim in a direction parallel to the beach, even yelling if necessary.

“You could swim to the left or right of where the person is and come in that way and yell to them to give them direction, ‘swim towards me or swim up north’ or give them some sort of direction,” Dezzi said.

Dezzi recommended beachgoers check the beach warning flags located at Longboat Key’s two fire stations at 5490 Gulf of Mexico Drive on the north end of town or 2162 Gulf of Mexico Drive on the south end.

“We want people to get in the habit of looking at that and understanding what the conditions are out there in the water,” Dezzi said.

Unlike Cortez Beach to the north or Lido Beach to the south, Longboat Key does not have lifeguards. Dezzi said the town checks the beach warning flags for both places before deciding which color to put up.

“We look at what Lido is flying,” Dezzi said. “We look at what Cortez is flying, and we make sure that we fly the highest caution one.”

For example, if Lido Beach is flying green and Cortez Beach is flying yellow then Longboat Key would fly a yellow flag.

“We want to make sure that we give them the highest level of caution possible,” Dezzi said.

Dezzi also recommended beachgoers to check and remember the four-digit number of the public beach access point they use in case there is an emergency.

“Every access entrance up to the beach has a four-digit number,” Dezzi said. “That four-digit number corresponds to Gulf of Mexico Drive.”

If 911 is called, the call taker asks a series of questions.

“Especially when they’re in the water, the main thing is trying to get an accurate location,” Longboat Key Fire Rescue spokesperson Tina Adams said.

The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department has rescue boards, a Jet Ski and fireboats depending on what’s necessary for a water rescue. Dezzi said fireboats have a minimum of four people on board during a rescue. There is also a two-boat minimum for a water rescue.

Longboat Key Fire Rescue and Emergency Medical Services have had an average response time of 5.6 minutes in 1,046 responses so far during the fiscal year 2020 (October 2019-September 2020). The fiscal year before, the average response time was 4.8 minutes in 998 responses.

However, response times can be longer when dealing with a water rescue. Dezzi said if a boat is overturned in the Gulf of Mexico or in Sarasota Bay, it can take rescue crews up to 30 minutes to respond depending on the location of the incident. The town also coordinates with West Manatee Fire Rescue and the Sarasota County Emergency Services.

“We feel that we’re pretty well equipped,” Dezzi said. “Again, it’s trying to educate the people to make sure they understand what the conditions are and don’t go out in rough waters.”