VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - It’s something you don’t really want to think about happening when you’re having fun on the beach, but where we live, it's a possibility: Somebody digs a little too deep in the sand, it collapses and then, sadly, they don’t survive.
The tragic incident happened to a teenager from Chesapeake while visiting the Outer Banks last year.
Firefighters in Virginia Beach say it can happen anywhere, and, though rare, sand collapses are one of the emergencies they talk about. Just a few cubic feet of sand can be crushing on a person's body.
“You’re talking minutes for someone to get there and effectively get you out for survival," said Capt. Scott Springer with Virginia Beach Fire Department Rescue 2, one of two rescue units in the city. "One of the issues that we have is we don’t have a rescue system in the city that typically deals with sand or an engulfment or an entrapment rescue so we would rely on equipment that was in the city and try to make do with the equipment that we actually have.”
Springer says wood panels the department uses for what's called a trench collapse would likely be modified in the event of somebody getting buried under the sand, but they would have to get to there first, and it could be too late by then.
That's why he says anyone digging on the beach should never dig deeper than above the knees of the smallest person with them.
“It creates a hazard for just kind of everyone involved so when you’re done, fill the hole back in," said Max McQuarrie, a master firefighter with the Virginia Beach Fire Department's Marine Unit.
As part of the Marine Unit, McQuarrie responds on a jet ski to rescues and, sadly, sometimes drownings along the ocean. He also teaches others how to properly ride a jet ski.
It's not uncommon to see people quickly slicing through the surf in the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.
“You just really gotta be careful of who’s around you, what’s around you Are there people swimming near me? If I don’t let go of that throttle in time, I might run somebody over," McQuarrie said. "Be cautious about boat wake. We’ve seen injuries of people launching off the waves.”
On top of his firefighting career, McQuarrie has been a lifeguard with the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service since he was a teenager. He says a major concern is rip currents pulling people out into the water.
In the event of a rip current, he advises swimming parallel to the shore to escape it, instead of against the current.
But these are also all conversations McQuarrie says should happen as families reach the beach or before.
“Talk to your kids about what you see, the hotels you’re around. Pick out landmarks. Every lifeguard stand at the Oceanfront has a number on it. Show your kids. Tell them what the number is so, that way, if they do get lost, say, ‘hey, we were near number 7 or 24,'" he said.
Because understanding your surroundings will help ensure safe, fun days in the sun this summer.
