Over the three-day July Fourth weekend, Wrightsville Beach lifeguards made 63 water rescues and firefighters responded to a number of incidents—mostly medical—in a proactive and joint effort to keep celebrations safe for thousands of beachgoers.
Fire Chief Glen Rogers said the weekend “worked out well” due to extensive planning by the town’s public safety officials: ocean rescue, fire and police.
The number of rescues on July Fourth was fewer than previous years, Rogers said, and they all involved what he called active victims —responsive and struggling—as opposed to passive victims—unconscious and floating.
The guards often spot active victims by their body movements, Rogers said. They look for signs that a swimmer is struggling or anxious, even using binoculars to examine peoples’ expressions.
“They’re looking for people who have that wide-eyed look to them,” Rogers said.
One indication currents are pulling a swimmer out is when that person starts doing what Rogers called a pencil dive: “trying to hit bottom and bounce back up, trying to get a little further in to shore.”
Guards can see rip currents from their lifeguard stands, so they pay extra attention to swimmers near those locations. Lifeguard captain Jeremy Owens said rip currents look like rivers pulling out to sea, identifiable by the lighter-colored sediment they carry with them.
Rip currents are especially common around Johnnie Mercer’s Pier, Rogers said, because of how the pilings affect the sandbars. That was where the highest number of rescues occurred over July Fourth weekend.
The potential dangers of swimming near the pier are compounded by the inexperience of the swimmers that area frequently attracts on holiday weekends. Signs on either side of the pier warn of those dangers, prohibiting swimming near the pier, but it’s a popular spot for tourists who don’t know the rules and the reasons for them, Rogers said.
But the lifeguards are aware that the pier is what Rogers called a “target hazard” and they staff the area accordingly. Over the July Fourth weekend, Owens put three guards in the lifeguard stands on either side of the pier instead of just two, and stationed its truck with the Jet Ski there as well.
Extra ocean rescue manpower was also needed for after-hours patrols. The holiday crowds lingered on the beach until sunset, so four lifeguards on ATVs patrolled the beach strand until 8 p.m.
Another task that kept the guards busy over the weekend was locating children who had gotten separated from their families on the teeming beach strand. From Saturday to Monday, they responded to 14 missing children incidents and were able to reunite all 14 with their families.
Both lifeguards and firefighters also responded to a number of medical calls—issues like allergic reactions, injuries and two boaters who fell out of their watercraft in Masonboro Inlet but were ultimately okay.
The coordinated effort between the town’s public safety officials helped the weekend go more smoothly, Rogers noted, saying that he was in regular contact with Police Chief Dan House. And while the lifeguards can’t enforce the town’s most frequently-broken beach strand rules like glass on the beach and open containers of alcohol, they can alert the beach officers and park ranger when they see a violation.
“That keeps the beach safer,” Rogers said. “And we just want everyone to be safe and enjoy the beach.”
