43 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com By midmorning, the beach is already alive. It feels easy and familiar; the kind of summer day people wait for all year. But while most families are focused on relaxing, local first responders are watching something different. They monitor the water conditions. The tide. The inclement weather rolling in faster than expected. The child who wandered a little too far down the shoreline. The exhausted swimmer trying to make it back to shore. The parents who looked away for only a moment. For fire rescue crews and police officers across the area, beach safety is not about ruining anyone’s vacation but remaining vigilant in protecting the public. Fire Chief Craig Oliverius of Isle of Palms Fire and Rescue said the calls they respond to most often are swimmers in distress, missing children, dehydration, heat emergencies and injuries caused by waves or rough conditions. Some dangers are obvious. Others are not. “Mother nature is a beautiful and powerful force,” Oliverius said. “The ocean waves have more power than we realize at times and the wind, salt and sun can be very physically demanding.” A calm looking shoreline can still hide dangerous currents underneath the surface. A cloudy afternoon can turn into a thunderstorm faster than families expect. Rip currents remain one of the biggest concerns for first responders along the South Carolina coast. According to the National Weather Service, rip currents are the leading weather-related killer in the coastal Carolinas. People often assume a rip current will pull them underwater like something out of a movie when it really just pulls swimmers away from the shore. The real danger usually begins when people panic and try to fight against the current until they are exhausted. It is important to relax if this happens. Oliverius encouraged swimmers to BY CARI LAWSON Staying Safe in the Sun our town Photo by Rachel Basye, Cooper River Photography.
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