LIGHTS…CAMERA….ACTION…THE RESCUES…BY THE LBTS-VFD AND GOOD SAMARITANS…
Dear Readers…It was quite a day yesterday in LBTS… a look outside this writer’s window in the morning…showed a sea wrought with whitecaps….A troublesome sight to behold as we watched all the swimmers going in despite the treachery that awaited them….
As previously posted we saw that evening the familiar white T.V. Camera trucks from Channel 10 and Channel 6 news…
Below…the text from both interview with links to the sites which may have the videos on soon…
CHANNEL 10 NEWS…. 5/17/09…. 11 PM
Channel 10 news showed in their opening the photo of LBTS-VFD Capt. Ron McGirr and an unidentified FF on the LBTS-VFD Sea Doo…as the Anchor Charles Perez said ” Rescue at sea caught on camera after a day of rough surf”…
At 11:07 pm…Charles Perez said ” High winds made for rough conditions on the beach today where several people had to be rescued after nearly drowning within hours of each other.. Julie Sommers (standing in front of the newly installed post #7) joins us now live from the beach in Lauderdale- By- The- Sea with the pictures of quite a dramatic rescue,Julie”…
Julie Sommers said ” Good evening to you Charles. This lifer preserver post here behind me is one of several installed just three days ago and already today proved priceless. Because on this stretch of sand alone five people who would have drowned this afternoon were saved.’
BC- Next was the interview with the young men previously posted across from the LBTS fire station around 8 pm….
Julie Sommers-” As the sun set this evening surfers strapped in their boards and described the thrills of a rough day on the water can bring”
The young man responded -” It was pretty fun”
Julie Sommers- ” Fun for you guys though can be dangerous for swimmers who aren’t strong enough for rip tide.”
Young surfer- ” I actually warned a couple people today about the rip current.”
Julie Sommers-” You were warning some of the swimmers out there?”
Young surfer-” Yeah, some of the kids, so yeah they didn’t really know what they were doing.”
Julie Sommers- ” It was not just kids that needed rescuing. These photos capture some of the terrifying moments when two tourists from Holland (Photo shown of FF Mark Conn) were rescued this afternoon by volunteer firefighters who patrol the sand here .” ( Photo of Dep. Chief McIntee/ Cat. Ron McGirr and 5 FF by life ring)…
Julie Sommers-” Because the city cannot afford lifeguards.”
BC- Looks like the Dep. Chief came back to the station this evening for an interview…
Dep. Chief/VM McIntee- ” The rips, I watched them take them like a rubber duck in the river, right out and my eyes just popped out. I watched it.”
Julie Sommers- ” And then he and others raced into the water as couples screamed for help and yes that gash on his cheek is from the rescue effort, a rogue wave he said that slammed into the rescue board. A minoe injury worth the bigger pictur.” ( Videos shown by ATV with closeup of McIntee’s cheek )
Dep. Chief McIntee- ” If the volunteer fire department wasn’t there as fast as we were those people wouldn’t be going back to Holland in a plane, they’d be going back in a box.”
Julie Sommers- ” Just before that couple was saved firefighters pulled another woman to safety and moments after the rescue to the north good Samaritans pulled two other people to safety.” ( She held up the life ring that says “property of LBTS”) ” And Charles in that case they (the good Samaritans) used these life rings that had just been posted here on the beach.”
Charles Perez- ” Very lucky to have the right people there at the right time.”..
http://www.justnews.com/video/index.html
CHANNEL 6 NEWs……5/17/09…. 11 PM…
11:05 PM…
BC- Channel 6 showed the same photo of Capt. Ron McGirr on the Sea Doo
Anchor- ” Dangerous rip current threatened the lives of several beachgoers across the south Florida coast today including a group of five in Lauderdale- By- The- Sea. Thanks to some quick thinking by volunteer first responders they all survived.”
Reporter- (on the LBTS beach in front of a group of warning signs) ” This is an unsupervised beach area so you are really swimming at your own risk and that’s exactly what these swimmers were doing and five nearly drowned.”
Vice Mayor/Deputy Chief McInteee- (on the beach in the afternoon) ” As we walked towards the beach approximately 20 feet from the beach we observed two people to our right on the ocean side hit the water and the riptide just picked them up and took them right out like a rocket. They started screaming for help.”
Reporter- ” There are no lifeguards here at Lauderdale By The Sea beaches, but the volunteer fire department happened to be nearby, they were nearby at another emergency”
BC- A photo was shown in the Minto sales office beachfront parking lot of VFD photog Marc Furth, Dep Chief McIntee, FF Mark Conn, Capt. Ron McGirr and an a VFD- FF…and a photo of McIntee and VFD-FF’s with the 2 ATVs and AMR )
Reporter- ” The volunteer first responders on jet skis were able to reach these two swimmers in time.”
Dep Chief McIntee- ” The bottom line is if the volunteers were not there those people would not be going home in chairs, they’d be going home in boxes.”
Reporter- ” The two people rescued are tourists from Holland spending the weekend in South Florida. The rescue was captured by the department’s photographer.”
VFD- Photog Marc Furth- ( Video with McIntee) ” I shoot pictures for the volunteer fire department and they use those for training purposes. I was able to be there in the very beginning to the very end of this.”
Reporter- ( as pictures of a rescue boat was shown) The other three swimmers who had close calls on Sunday were rescued by other beachgoers. Now officials are putting out these life preservers all over on this stretch of beach just in case anyone needs a rescue.”
BC- While we are all thankful that all those swimmers were saved today, a closer look at these reports shows that the VFD were on patrol yesterday and were able to save some of the swimmers…but the others were saved by “good Samaritans”…and the report from Channel 10 stating …” Because the city cannot afford lifeguards.” along with Channel 6 reporting….” This is an unsupervised beach area so you are really swimming at your own risk and that’s exactly what these swimmers were doing and five nearly drowned.”…and…”The other three swimmers who had close calls on Sunday were rescued by other beachgoers. Now officials are putting out these life preservers all over on this stretch of beach just in case anyone needs a rescue.”…should make it time to put the Clottey recommended referendum item for LBTS lifeguards on the March 2010 ballot!…After all…today is Monday…when the VFD does not patrol as often as on the weekend…and we also face the Memorial Day weekend…and much larger crowds of swimmers…
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/
UPDATE…In today’s Sentinel Local section…including a photo of LBTS-VFD Capt. Jud Hopping making a rescue… by ‘ Marc Furth,correspondent’ ( Really? McIntee BFF-BTSTimes Editor/Owner-Town photog-VFD photog- 4th of July Event coordinator…now he’s called a correspondent? )….with the accompanying text…
‘Firefighters make Rescue’ ‘ SAFE RETURN: Capt. Jud Hopping, left of the Lauderdale-By-The- Sea Volunteer Fire Department, works to bring Tine Kristensen back to shore after a rip current dragged her and Brian Spencer out to sea. Hopping and another firefighter who were on the beach near the 4300 block of El Mar Drive, rushed on a water scooter to save the pair. They were assisted by four other firefighters. The victims whose hometowns and ages were not available, did not need medical attention. “These people would be deader than a doornail if we weren’t there,” said spokesman Deputy Fire Chief Jerry McIntee, who is the vice mayor of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea.’
BC- Again, it is time for some serious discussion about how this town is portrayed…our P.R….perhaps Comm. Clottey was correct after all concerning Town PIO d’Oliveira being ready in such circumstances…A look at the comments made by VM/Dep. Chief and now (according the the Sentinel) VFD Spokesman McIntee in the last 24 hours…should give rise for great concern to the Town, VFD and for businesses that rely on tourism ….On the one hand we cannot be talking about charging $400-500 a night to become a “resort destination” ( VM McIntee/ Cristie Furth previous 5/13/09 meeting LBTS agenda/meetings cat.)…and then have comments made such as these by McIntee about our beach and what awaits the travelers!…
more to come…
Tags: lifeguards, local government, Local Politics, News, riptides, Scoops, VFD
Posted in Local News, Local Politics, News, Opinions, Places To Go, Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, Updates, VFD, local government
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