Donation aims to make beach safer at Fort Fisher

FORT FISHER, NC (WWAY) — Beach visitors have a new tool to help them save a life when lifeguards aren’t around at Fort Fisher.

Volunteers from the Wilmington Cape Fear Rotary Club plus staff from the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher assembled and installed 10 rescue tubes along a five-mile stretch of beach this morning.

Anyone can use them for emergencies.  Imprinted with safety instructions and attached to accessible poles, the floatation devices will be evenly spaced along the recreation area shoreline in areas with limited to no lifeguard coverage.

“Our number one priority has always been visitor protection and safety,” said Jeffrey Owen, Park Superintendent at the recreation area. “While we do have lifeguards on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day, their primary duty is the pedestrian beach which is a mile in length.  However the four wheel drive beach which receives thousands of visitors each year is an unprotected area with no lifeguards on duty.”

Officials say Fort Fisher lifeguards have already done 10 rescues this year. They made 18 last year.

Rescue tubes will be accessible from March to November. They will be managed by state park officials and removed during the winter when temperatures drop below freezing.