""Because we're so close to Sea Cliff and Lands End and Baker Beach, we're just well positioned to respond to anything like that," said Seamus Roddy, a firefighter with Station 34. Crews perform a water rescue drill twice a week to keep their skills sharp. "We have an identified victim, just a single victim rescue. Sometimes the fastest way we can get to the victim is with the rescue board," Roddy said."
"Quite often people get in trouble because they are unaware of the dangers at Ocean Beach. "We get all kinds of stuff, there are people visiting, people who aren't familiar with Ocean Beach," Roddy said. "This is a four mile stretch of beach with a ton of tide movement and current movement in and out of the Golden Gate." There are seven fire stations in San Francisco dedicated to water rescues with 200 trained specialized staff."
""That allows us to be able to respond quickly to the ocean or the Bay for anyone that is reported to be in the water for whatever reason that may be, a surfer, a swimmer, a ship in distress, a capsized boat," SFFD Spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias said. "From January to July of this year, we've had over 130 rescues, that's a combination of water and cliff rescues, so we are very busy.""
Station 34 maintains a surf and cliff rescue team positioned near Ocean Beach, Sea Cliff, Lands End, and Baker Beach to enable rapid ocean and cliff response. Crews conduct water rescue drills twice weekly and use rescue boards when that is the fastest way to reach a single identified victim. Ocean Beach presents significant hazards due to strong tide and current movement through the Golden Gate, and visitors unfamiliar with conditions often get into trouble. Seven San Francisco fire stations dedicate resources to water rescue with about 200 specialized staff. Station 35 is a floating firehouse in service since 2018 with three fireboats and rescue watercraft.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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