Several Beach rescue agencies, including the Coast Guard, Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach Ocean Rescue, and Lifeguards Without Borders will perform a rescue exercise Tuesday morning.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen said the purpose of the exercise is to increase communication and response among the agencies so that rescues are quick, efficient, and successful.
“It’s important to have the Coast Guard and the local authorities train together for rescues because they happen frequently and the more we’re familiar with each other the more success we’ll have when responding to emergencies,” she said.
The rescue scenario includes a mother who reports that her teenager is missing in the water.
“It’s going to be a good test of communication because in cases like this timing is really critical, so the sooner we’re aware of the situation, the sooner we can get crews out there,” said Jorgensen.
Each agency plays a unique role in the rescue. The Coast guard vessels will rescue the victim in the deep water and the victim will then be transferred to an Ocean Rescue water craft and returned back to the shore.
“Immediately after the exercise all of the agencies participating will gather together and just talk about lessons learned, what went well, what could possibly be improved for the future,” said Jorgensen.
