Baldwin County Deputy Drowned Sunday During A Rescue

[5lima30ret]

Baldwin County Deputy Bill Smith drowned at Ft. Morgan Sunday while trying to rescue 2 swimmers who were in need of assistance. Another Deputy was hospitalized and subsequently released. A very sad day indeed!
RIP Deputy Smith!

 

[Southalabama]

Sad, tragic and part of me gets angry. It never ceases to amaze me people swimming in the gulf getting in distress.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Not that it matters but the folks rescued were black. Nothing in the "media"

 

[Southalabama]

My wife didn’t grow up going to the beach like I did. She can’t spot sand eroding back into the gulf and thinks the gulf is for swimming.

Lay on the beach. Fish in the gulf and swim in a pool.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

My guess, on floats, and couldn't swim well = dead rescuer. Sucks

 

[stage20]

Did he save them or did someone else?
Sad event either way.

 

[FLT]

When you attempt to save a drowning person , they will try to climb up on you to get their head out of the water. You can either overpower them or knock them out. Then you can swim them to safety, more than one person has been drowned by the person they were attempting to rescue . If you attempt to save someone you need to remember this information, it could save your life.

 

[Raven]

Guaranteed that deputy didn't strip to his shorts before entering the water either. I dont care if you're an Olympic swimmer, going in fully clothed much less with a belt, boots and ammo is a recipe for disaster unless you're trained for it. Before I moved away to Maine I was a trip leader with a local canoe club. I never took my cammies or boots off, in the water or out of the water. Wearing wet boots and cammies all day, 3 or 4 days a month neck deep in a swamp is good training for the day you are forced to work in those conditions. Came in handy when I got to Maine and joined up with a search and rescue group. "Train how you fight", right... now think about it. We're in Florida. There's fresh and salt water all around us, everywhere. Embrace the suck, and go swimming more often

 

[5lima30ret]

When I went through the "Dunker School" in the early 80's at Pensacola NAS we had to jump off the high dive of an Olympic Sized swimming pool wearing leather boots, flight suit, helmet, & survival vest filled with about 10 lbs of sand. Then we had to swim 3 lengths of the pool without touching the sides or bottom! It was tough and I was a former lifeguard and good swimmer! A lot did not pass the class and and had to re-take it several times. I did my "Wet Ditch" and swing line water survival training at Homestead AFB. We also had to do that with flight suit, boots, helmet, and survival vest in Biscayne Bay and the cooling ponds of Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. That added the very real elements of barracuda, tides, sharks, and Go-Fast Boats speeding through the area!

 

[kimbernut]

When you attempt to save a drowning person , they will try to climb up on you to get their head out of the water. You can either overpower them or knock them out. Then you can swim them to safety, more than one person has been drowned by the person they were attempting to rescue . If you attempt to save someone you need to remember this information, it could save your life.

In the above situation get a big breath and go straight to the bottom! It’s the last place a drowning person wants to go!