PERDIDO KEY, Fla. (WKRG) — A teenager and man who both died in a rip current Thursday have been identified by family.
16-year-old Bryce Brooks was visiting Perdido Key from Atlanta. His parents say he died trying to save kids from drowning.
“He was selfless, our son Bryce,” Alfred Brooks said. “While being pulled by currents himself he called for help not for himself but he called for help for the little kids.”
Their family friend, Chuck Johnson, also from Atlanta, died while trying to help Bryce.
They were two of several people who went into the water to help rescue kids caught in a rip current Thursday. This raises questions about Perdido Key and how safe it is for swimmers.
“This is an unguarded portion of Perdido Key where there aren’t any lifeguards so we are strictly dependent upon the firefighters,” Escambia County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Steve Boothe said.
County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh wrote on his blog that only a little more than 500 feet is county-owned. The rest is mostly private property. Bergosh said condos hire security to keep people from trespassing on private beaches but no lifeguards to keep people safe in the water.
The county is looking at some options. One plan is to add signs that say “no lifeguards are present” and to “swim at your own risk.” They’re also looking at possibly adding lifeguards to some of the small public access areas and putting up more warning flags.
