New Rip Current Signs To Be Unveiled Friday
By Space Coast Daily // August 27, 2014
signs show how to escape a rip current
ABOVE VIDEO: Florida lifeguard Bill Soltz shows Brian Ross how to swim out of a rip current.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Beachgoers in Brevard County will have access to important safety information with a simple scan of their cell phones starting Friday, and just in time for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
A press conference will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Howard E. Futch Memorial Park in Indialantic to unveil the county’s new Rip Current Warning Signs.
The signs not only display instructions on how to escape a rip current, but also provide computers apps and a telephone number that will allow beach patrons to find out which beaches in Brevard County have lifeguards present.
There’s information also on a myriad of other beach safety measures including weather updates and text warnings via cell phones of any approaching storms.
With three deaths already this year on Brevard County beaches attributed to rip currents, and with upwards of 24 deaths within the last 10 years, Brevard County – working in conjunction with the private sector and other governmental agencies – has come up with this state-of-the-art warning system that will be posted at 219 public access ways to Brevard County beaches.
Lifeguard stations cover only 7 percent of Brevard County’s beaches. With all the rip current drowning deaths in the last 10 years occurring where there are no lifeguards present, using state of the art communication techniques is the only line of defense available to better safeguard our beach going patrons who frequent our beaches where there are no lifeguards presence.
Thanks to funding received from the Tourist Development Council (TDC), Brevard County’s cities, along with federally and state controlled beach parks (Canaveral National Seashore, Patrick Air Force Base and Sebastian Inlet State Park), will now post uniform state of the art Rip Current Warning Signs that will help bring beach safety to a new level.
In addition, a push is also being made through the TDC to get as many hotels/motels on the beach to also display these new Rip Current Warning Signs and encourage their guests to heed the warnings and download the sign-provided apps so that their stay in Brevard County will be a safe one.
