In case you missed my announcement at last week’s meeting, Okaloosa County BCC approved Rotary Rescue Tubes for the County’s public beaches! We are still finalizing the PRT locations, but the anticipated count is 20-30 PRTs. Accordingly, we are again seeking PRT sponsors like we did for the Destin Project. The sponsorship cost is $500, which pays for the PRT, installation, and five years of maintenance. Your business (or individual) name will be prominently displayed on the PRT sign for that five-year period.
This is an update on our Okaloosa County Rotary Rescue Tube project. We met with the County last week and determined that Phase 1 of the project will include 26 PRTs. I’m excited to announce that we already have 16 PRT sponsors lined up…so THANK YOU to those Rotarians who have already stepped up. That means we only need 10 MORE SPONSORS for Phase 1.
The sponsorship cost is $500, which pays for the PRT, installation, and five years of maintenance. Your business (or individual) name will be prominently displayed on the PRT sign for that five-year period.
If interested in sponsoring a PRT for the Okaloosa County Project, you can complete the PRT Sponsor Form HERE. Please also feel free to share this email with any of your business contacts who might be interested, thank you!
Foundational Information:
New Devices on Destin Beaches Serve to Help Save Lives
The Rotary Club of Destin and the City of Destin have worked together on a project for beach safety. On February 15, eight “rescue tubes” were installed at various beach access points in Destin. The goal was to have them installed prior to spring break.
The Destin Rotarians brought the idea for the initiative to Councilmembers in September 2024, and a motion was passed 7-0 approving the installation. Inspired by Rotary Club of Navarre, Rotary Club of Destin’s Dion Moniz and Wayne Bernheisel shared the Rotary Club’s vision to have Public Rescue Tubes (PRT) placed at Destin city public beach access points. Once the motion passed, the Rotary Club of Destin worked with the Rescue Tube Foundation, which is dedicated to lowering the number of drowning deaths around the world by providing the tubes to protect rescuers in recreational waters.
Many sponsors stepped up to help purchase the PRT’s and include the sponsor’s or business’ name at the site. The $500 sponsorships were in high demand and sold out in a matter of hours!
There are currently more than 600 Rescue Tube Stations now in place in the U.S. and Canada. Locally, the Rotary Club of Destin is helping make Destin beaches safer by sponsoring and purchasing “rescue tubes” to help supplement beach safety.
Why?
- There are an estimated 236,000 drowning deaths per year worldwide
- Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional deaths worldwide
- Drowning is the #1 cause of death in children ages 1-4
- In 2022, there were 464 accidental drowning deaths in Florida
- Large expanses of beach in Florida are not protected by lifeguards and those that do have lifeguards are not 24/7.
- Attempting a water rescue is perilous for both the person being rescued and the rescuer
What you need to know:
- There are 25 years of data before and after the installation of rescue tubes.
- There are 200+ known rescues with the rescue tubes.
- There have been NO rescuer deaths in areas where rescue tubes are present.
- They are Destin life guard approved.
- They will be purchased and maintained by the Rotary Club of Destin.
The Rotary Club of Destin is excited to join some other area clubs in this initiative and be a partner in saving lives and making our beaches safer.
The Rescue Tube Foundation is dedicated to lowering the number of drowning deaths around the world. Over 600 rescue tube stations are in place in the U.S. and Canada.
To see more photos of the installation work this morning, you can check out the City of Destin’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cityofdestin. Thanks, Rotarians, for the purchase of the potentially life-saving equipment!
