JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is training first responders with a new device that turns a regular pool into a rip current — just as forecasters warn of high rip current risk along local beaches this weekend.
The device, called the Slip Stream rip current simulator, was acquired by JFRD within the last month. It connects to a standard pool and generates a powerful, adjustable current designed to replicate real ocean conditions.
How the simulator works
M. Dallas Cooke, Division Chief of Rescue for JFRD, said the tool gives firefighters an experience they can’t get in a classroom.
“This simulator has the ability to create a powerful adjustable current in a controlled environment in a pool,” Cooke said. “It is a really cool tool because it allows our JFRD employees to experience real world training in a more controlled environment.”
The equipment can move about 3,000 gallons of water per minute. JFRD personnel who have trained on it rate the experience at an 8 out of 10 compared to a real rip current.
“You can scale it as high or as low,” Cooke said.
Who benefits from the training
The simulator is primarily intended for JFRD ocean rescue, swiftwater rescue, and special operations first responders. Trainees practice swimming in and out of the current while performing rescue techniques.
The department emphasized the importance of preparing before an emergency strikes, not after.
“We prepare for the emergency before it actually happens,” according to JFRD.
Why it matters
The CDC reports roughly 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths happen in the United States every year. Rip currents have claimed local lives, including Skyler Christian Taylor in 2017 and Army veteran Joshua Curtis.
What to do if you get caught in a rip current
With high rip current risk forecast for this weekend, officials urge beachgoers to stay out of the water if there is an active warning or if they are not strong swimmers. If you do get caught in a rip current:
Don’t panic: Relax your body to save energy rather than fighting the water head-on.
Flip and float: Turn onto your back and float so the current carries you out past the breaking waves.
Swim parallel: Once clear of the pull, swim sideways at an angle parallel to the beach and back to shore.
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