ALEA Partners with Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Police to Save Memorial Day Weekend

Baldwin County, Alabama (WKRGMore) – Alabama Law Enforcement is partnering with the Gulf Shores Police Department and Orange Beach Police Department to keep beachgoers safe this Memorial Day weekend.

This is the second year that ALEA’s aviation division has partnered with both agencies to conduct what they call ‘Summer Rescue Swimmer Detail’. ALEA will provide aircraft and pilots capable of flying quickly over the water, and will dispatch rescue swimmers from the Land Police and OBPD to rescue swimmers in distress.

Over the Memorial Day weekend last year, the agency received seven calls for service. A total of three rescue swimmers were dispatched during these requests. As a result of this three times her 16 swimmers in distress were rescued.

One of the major causes of drowning along the Gulf Coast is rip currents. WKRG News 5 Meteorologist Grant Skinner explained what rip currents are and how they form.

“Rip currents can occur at any time of the year, which is one of the main reasons why this is such a deadly phenomenon, especially for inexperienced swimmers,” Skinner said. .

To escape a rip current, swim parallel to the shoreline or perpendicular to the rip current. This moves swimmers away from the rip current and towards calmer waters. It is very important to pay attention to what flags are on the beach.