Multiple Fire Department crews, Coast Guard and Sheriff’s Office helicopter participate in search
The evening of June 8, a child whose father feared he might have drowned in the Gulf offshore of Siesta Public Beach was found playing in the sand, near the blue lifeguard stand, The Sarasota News Leader has learned.
At 5:49 p.m. that day, units were dispatched initially from Fire Station 13 on Siesta Key in response to a 911 call about a “possible drowning involving a juvenile who was believed to be missing in the water,” the Sarasota County Fire Department report said. The first unit reached the beach at 5:53 p.m., the report noted.
After the Rescue 13 crew arrived, the firefighters/medics “made contact with the juvenile’s father, who stated that he had not seen his child for approximately 20 minutes and believed the child may have entered the water,” the report explained.
The battalion chief on the scene requested additional resources, the report indicated, “and placed Bayflite on standby.” Bayflite is the medical helicopter used to transport patients with life-threatening conditions to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The engines from Fire Stations 11, 14 and 3 also were dispatched, the report showed. Further, the battalion chief requested support from the Air One helicopter of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the report noted; it was to conduct an “aerial search of the beach and surrounding waters.”
The offshore operation included personnel with the U.S. Coast Guard and those on a Fire Department boat, the report added.
Personnel also used “binoculars to monitor the shoreline and beach area,” it said.
“Based on information obtained from the father,” the report continued, “an extensive search of both the beach and adjacent water areas was conducted by responding agencies.”
After the child was found near the blue lifeguard stand, the report said, the child “was reunited with family members and evaluated by Rescue 13 personnel. No injuries or medical concerns were identified,” it added.
All units were cleared to return to service, the report noted. The last departure was just before 7 p.m. that day, the report showed; that was when Engine 14 left the scene.