County launches daily surf condition report

Beach safety info delivered directly to cell phones

By Allison Marlow
Posted 8/20/21

Residents and visitors want isolated beaches and quiet getaways.

Local emergency officials want everyone to know if those isolated waters are safe for swimmers.

A new daily alert system may …

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County launches daily surf condition report

Beach safety info delivered directly to cell phones

Posted

Residents and visitors want isolated beaches and quiet getaways.

Local emergency officials want everyone to know if those isolated waters are safe for swimmers.

A new daily alert system may prove to be part of the solution.

This month the county launched Baldwin Beach Information a daily report of surf conditions delivered every morning to users’ cell phones.

While visitors to beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach can rely on flags and lifeguards, private beaches along Fort Morgan and in other unincorporated areas are largely unmonitored.

Orange Beach Fire Chief Mike Kimmerling said he doubts families who rent or own homes along Fort Morgan drive to the flashing sign on Fort Morgan Road each morning to check the beach condition that is posted there.

The new daily notices he said, delivered directly to their phones, could mean the difference between life or death.

“Our biggest thing is if we can get them to opt in for that message hopefully that daily notification would be like a trigger that maybe they need to pay closer attention that day or not go in the water at all,” Kimmerling said. “Hopefully it will cause them to pause and think about how to avoid a dangerous situation.”

The program made a soft launch last month and now county officials are urging visitors and residents alike to subscribe.

Users can subscribe to the daily text or receive the beach information as part of the Alert Baldwin package, a county wide app that delivers information on weather, emergencies and dispatches from municipalities. That system was widely used during the Hurricane Sally in 2020 to disseminate information about the storm’s movement and clean up efforts.

Zach Hood, director of the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency, said using the app is the quickest way to know the water condition.

“Some individuals look at the water and can’t tell if it’s dangerous today. This allows professionals from the weather service who collaborate with the city fire department to determine the status and get that information quickly to the public,” Hood said.

“We want to do our best in advertising what the danger may be and if there is a danger at all,” Hood said. “We want to put that warning in their hands because we know if you can see and hear it, you’re probably going to follow it.”

He added that officials are still determining whether the alerts will be sent out during winter months when swimmers tend to avoid the cold water.

Kimmerling added that the daily reports will help reinforce what lifeguards and beach safety officials are telling visitors every day.

“It’s good for people to know this information,” Kimmerling said. “Our guards get a lot of grief when they tell people to get out of water.”

Kimmerling said the success will be counted in the emergency calls that never come.

“If this system works and saves lives we’ll never know. Those are 911 calls that will never happen,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to truly measure the success but my feeling is it’s going to make a difference for someone.”