Brevard County is scrambling to fill at least 45 vacant lifeguard positions after a tragic incident in South Cocoa Beach, where two adults lost their lives while attempting to rescue a child from a rip current.
The county’s Ocean Rescue Chief, Eisen Witcher, noted that many lifeguard stations are currently empty and emphasized that the agency is doing its best with limited resources. “We assess risk as much as we can, but we can’t be everywhere all the time,” he said.
During the incident, the adults—a 42‑year‑old man from Connecticut and a 34‑year‑old woman from Ohio—entered the water to save a child, who survived. Both adults were transported to a hospital but later died. The child’s stepmother was identified as the woman, while the man was a bystander.
Witcher warned that the area where the rip current struck had no lifeguards on duty, and recent high surf—waves up to 8 feet—has damaged sandbars, creating dangerous flash rip currents. National Weather Center officials have flagged the entire Florida coast, from south of Palm Coast to Miami, as high risk for rip currents, underscoring the need for vigilant monitoring and public awareness.
Source: www.foxnews.com
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