'Our team is active': Bay County hires four new surf-rescue specialists to protect beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH − Bay County officials continue working to protect beachgoers from dangerous surf conditions.

According to Matthew Lindewirth, chief of emergency services for Bay County, four new surf-rescue specialists have been hired by the county and are slated to begin patrolling the coast within the next couple of weeks.

With the additions, Bay will have 17 full-time surf-rescue specialists, or lifeguards, dedicated to protecting those visiting unincorporated county beaches.

"These new surf-rescue specialists that we've hired (will) help maintain staffing," Lindewirth said. "There should be an immediate impact. ... We expect them to be on-boarded here in the next week and a half, two weeks."

To help streamline beach safety services for the county, officials in February approved for all of its beach lifeguards to be overseen by Bay County Fire Rescue. Before then, the they worked under the county's parks and recreations department, and the fire department dispatched firefighters trained in open-water rescuing when it could.

This switch went into effect in April. Lindewirth noted the new hires were not sparked by the recent string of local beach drownings, but instead something that has been in the works for a few months.

"It creates a more streamlined process being able to get the equipment we need, instead of having two departments trying to compete for funding," Lindewirth said. "Now we're able to prioritize what is most important for surf rescue."

Seven beachgoers have drowned so far this year while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Bay County. Four happened off unincorporated beaches, with three on June 21 near Beach Access 12, and one on June 23 near Beach Access 96.

The three others happened within the city limits of Panama City Beach. They were on March 27 near Beach Access 36, June 20 near Beach Access 54 and June 24 near Beach Access 54.

All of the victims were tourists who entered the Gulf under single-red-flag conditions and got caught in a rip current, or a fast-moving current created by a channel in a sandbar. These channels run perpendicular to the shoreline, causing water to funnel faster out into deeper waters.

Rip currents can vary in strength, depending on how developed the channels are. They can sometimes be identified from shore where there is a gap in the wave break — areas where the white caps of the breaks are less noticeable.

For Lindewirth, one of the biggest obstacles facing Bay County is that many beachgoers underestimate the dangers of single-red-flag conditions. In Bay County and Panama City Beach, it is illegal to swim during double-red-flag conditions under penalty of a $500 fine. However, the coast remains open when single-red flags fly.

"You should always take Mother Nature seriously," he said. "Anybody who grew up here knows to stay out of the water when it's bad. Unfortunately, tourists come down here, and it's a beautiful beach, and it's so inviting to get into the water, that they don't see the dangers that lurk under (the surface).

"A single-red flag is still an extremely dangerous situation. If you're above your knees, you're begging to have a problem."

Lindewirth noted Bay County surf-rescue specialists so far this year have performed 304 public assists and 46 active rescues. Assists are when a specialist enters the water to prevent someone from needing to be rescued. Rescues are when they pull someone from the water who likely would have otherwise drowned.

Local drowings:Fatal vacations: A look at the 7 tourists who have drowned in Bay County so far this year

Bay County surf-rescue specialists patrol unincorporated county beaches on the east and west ends of Panama City Beach. They also are stationed at the M.B. Miller Pier. PCB Lifeguards are stationed at the Russell-Fields Pier and patrol the city's portion of the coast.

To sign up for daily text alerts on local beach flag conditions, text "PCBFLAGS" to 888777.

"Our team is active out there, trying to keep everyone safe," Lindewirth said. "We want people to really understand that if there's a red flag flying, it's in their personal interest to not enter the water."