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Pinellas County firefighters get 1st rescue boat, water rescue calls double around Fort De Soto

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Published  August 28, 2024 5:50am EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Pinellas County firefighters get more rescue gear

Firefighters in Pinellas County have gotten more water rescue equipment as water rescue calls are increasing in the area.

TIERRA VERDE, Fla. - Calls for help on the water have nearly doubled around Fort De Soto and Tierra Verde in Pinellas County, and now the first responders who answer those calls are getting a boat for water rescues.

"We have the most waterfront property of any area in Pinellas County between all of the beaches,"said Jim Millican, a division Chief with the Lealman Fire District.

Under a contract with the county, the Lealman Fire District staffs firefighters at the Tierra Verde fire station, and they are the first ones to respond to Fort De Soto Beach and areas around Tierra Verde.

Those calls are coming far more frequently.

Between a growing community and tourism, nearly 3 million people visit Fort DeSoto beach every year, and calls for water rescues have more than doubled. 

From 20 calls in the years before 2020, they now get more than 50 a year. 

"They were true medical emergencies that required paramedics to get to them," said Millican.

Pinellas County Commissioners just approved buying the fire district its first Jon Boat and Jet Ski to help with shallow water rescues.

Kayakers, Paddleboarders and boaters often get stuck or stranded in the mangroves or along the shallower points of the coastline.

"It is frustrating because you want to make the rescue and you want to help people," said Millican.

Up until now, firefighters have often had to rely on other departments to bring their boats, which they say can increase response times by 30 minutes. Leaving the patient or person in need, waiting longer for help to arrive.

"This will allow us to get to them a whole lot quicker," said Millican.

Sometimes the boats from neighboring departments were far too big for the channels in Fort DeSoto. Which is why the department is getting equipment better suited for shallower water.

Right now, the crews use a rescue board, similar to a surfboard. At times, they've taken their own risks, wading through water to get to a person in need of a water rescue.

"You have the dangers of walking in those waters, they are crusted with a lot of oyster shell beds, those things are dangerous to step on, get cut up on. They are superinfections. That's dangerous for our firefighters. There's also the danger of being hit by a rip tide while trying to get to the patient," said Millican.

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Now the department is training all of its firefighters on water rescues and expects the water team to be up and running with its new equipment in the next three months,

"Our crews are very excited. They're very energized, it's a new type of rescue for us," said Millican.