A disturbing development

Seven miles of beach to — at most — seven points for access is far from an ideal ratio for Destin’s first responders.

Wall-to-wall development along Destin’s Gulf front has left little public access to the beach and made life difficult for EMTs and lifeguards responding to emergencies.

Joe D’Agostino, chief of the Destin Beach Safety Patrol, said cooperation with private property owners has become crucial for emergency situations on the beach.

“Most of the property owners are understanding to our needs and the urgency of what we do. I just wish that when those buildings and lots were developed and they build high rise next to high rise — they had thought about access,” he said. “We do the best we can with what we have.”
What Destin’s lifeguards and paramedics have is seven accessways to the beach: One at the end of Gulf Shore Drive on Norriego Point, another in the Destin Pointe neighborhood, a vacant lot on Holiday Isle, June Decker Park, Henderson Beach State Park, a public beach access at Shirah Street in Crystal Beach and James Lee Park.

Phil Metz, Destin Fire Control District medical division chief, said first responders consider points of access to the beach to be an area where they can get a vehicle to a patient, be it one of the beach safety patrol’s all-terrain vehicles or a pickup truck. Ambulances and fire trucks are too heavy to drive on the beach.

“Even sometimes with a pickup truck it can be tricky,” Metz said. “We keep our tires a little soft for just that reason.”

D’Agostino said accessing the beach west of Henderson Beach State Park has proven tricky for lifeguards in the past.
It is that stretch of beach where the lifeguards have responded to a trio of tragic incidents in the last year.

In May 2007, 20-year-old Joshua Cooper died in the surf behind Seafarer Condominiums and shortly thereafter a man was plucked from the Gulf of Mexico by the fire department’s boat after suffering a heart attack in the water.

Last Thursday, two swimmers were pulled from the Gulf of Mexico by Destin lifeguards. One of the men is still listed in critical condition in Fort Walton Beach Medical Center after authorities estimate he was submerged for up to 10 minutes.

D’Agostino said a lack of access to emergency vehicles from the beach is a concern in emergencies when seconds can mean the difference between life and death for a patient in distress.

“In a perfect world, when new construction is built they would take into consideration access to the beach and not necessarily public access, just access for emergency vehicles,” he said.

In the meantime, D’Agostino has been lobbying the city and private property owners to deed small chunks of land along the beach to the beach safety patrol for the construction of 30-foot by 30-foot lifeguard stations along the beach that would serve as permanent posts as well as storage units for life-saving equipment.