ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Thousands of boaters and beachgoers in Northeast Florida went out on the water to take advantage of the long holiday weekend.
With more people and vessels out, first responders implemented heightened measures to ensure everyone’s safety.
News4JAX spent the morning with St. Johns County Fire and Rescue to get a little glimpse of how crews work to keep everyone safe on a busy day like Memorial Day.
“Swimmers in distress on the beach side, because we have this inlet here. That’s our, probably our most heard call. I would say the most common one we would go to is just boating assistance call, so somebody is aground, and/or a minor accident or something like that,” SJCFR Lieutenant Daniel Power said.
While Power patrolled the popular destinations on the holiday weekend, he said it’s all about being present and not just waiting for something to possibly happen.
“It’s about being out and being seen and being in a position that we can act quickly. But now, we’re out here and able to kind of see where everybody’s at and know where our busy spots are going to be,” Power said.
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Over the weekend, the Vilano Boat Ramp brought in hundreds of people and vessels to enjoy the sun and water.
“It’s calm, and we’ve got yellow flag conditions today, and not expecting it to be super rough or anything, but with the amount of people that we have, there’s a lot of people there that are not good swimmers,” Power said.
Whether frolicking on the beach or out on the water, Power said there are obvious ways to stay safe.
“Alcohol and boating are very common, just keep a sober Captain, just have somebody on the boat that can, that can actually drive the boat, that’s sober, not just one sober person that doesn’t know how to drive a boat,” Power said.
Many people who operate vessels go through some type of training, but still, sometimes new or inexperienced boaters get confused, Power said.
“Probably one of our very common boating accidents is just running around, it’s not understanding the waterways and where you can go and where you can,” Power said. ”Everybody has all their safety stuff that’s always on the boat, especially with a new one. But do they know how to use it correctly? Do they know what it’s for? They understand actual boating etiquette and how to drive appropriately and where you can go."
There were no serious rescues over the weekend or during our ride-along with first responders.
However, the St. Augustine Fire Department said in a Facebook post that multiple people were rescued after a boat capsized near the St. Augustine Inlet Monday afternoon.
No injuries or pollution were reported. Officials said the boaters were wearing life vests.
This year’s Memorial Day marked the last major holiday before the Florida “Boater Freedom Act” goes into effect on July 1, just before the 4th of July holiday.
The new bill will stop random “suspicionless” boat inspections unless there’s probable cause. It also calls for a new “Florida Freedom Boater” decal to be given out automatically when boaters register with the state.
