“A lot of residents knew what the beach warning flags meant, or had a general idea, but a majority of the tourists did not,” said Melvin Shepard, chief of staff for the Gulf Shores Fire Department and a longtime lifeguard patrolling the coastal shoreline.
“There are some conversations happening right now,” said state Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Daphne, about intergovernmental agreements to improve the peninsula’s beach safety.The BEach SAFE campaign, aimed at creating awareness among visitors and residents about beach conditions and warning flags, is spreading throughout the coastal region. Information has been provided to businesses, including restaurants and bars.
In Dauphin Island, where there are no full-time lifeguards patrolling the barrier island’s beaches, there is a new beach flag warning system in place. Electronic signs are also in place along the main roads into the island and if dangerous surf is present, they will flash a rip current warning, according to Mayor Jeff Collier.
Leatherman said the bag could be a useful item for people visiting beaches where lifeguards are not present, which he said is a majority of beaches in Florida. He said the devices could be useful for visitors to Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island.