PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. 鈥?Water rescues are rising in Pinellas County, and local first responders said they are working to bring that number down.Lealman Fire Division Chief Jim Millican said that before the pandemic, there were roughly 20 rescue calls a year, but in 2022, that number hit 59. A lot of, like me, tourists don t have a clue what is safe and what is not safe, said Jeremy Brainerd, who visits Florida s beaches regularly.Brainerd has heard about quite a few water emergencies. Somebody was <a href=https://www.cups-stanley.ca>stanley canada</a> o <a href=https://www.stanley-quencher.uk>stanley quencher</a> ut on a raft, they were drinking, and they ended up getting caught in the water, where it just pulled them out from the undertow and they didn t make it, unfortunately, he said.Lealman Fire District covers the waterfront of Tierra Verde and Fort DeSoto Beach.Water rescue calls in that area have more than doubled in the last few years. The majority of them are shallow water rescues, people who are out there sailboarding, kayaking, maybe canoeing things <a href=https://www.cup-stanley.es>stanley taza</a> you do in shallow water, and they get themselves stuck in the mangroves sometimes, so they need rescue out of the mangroves, said Millican.Officials said a major reason they are seeing more rescue calls is the increase in tourism in the area. The only equipment Lealman Fire District has to reach shallow rescues is an emergency board and small boat. Currently when we get out there, if we can t reach the patient, we are waiting for another fire boat to arrive from somewhere else, and that generally takes time, said Millican.Now, Pin Tnbj Parents charged with murder after baby starves to death
Uber and Lyft have been ridesharing staples in South Florida for several years now, but a company new to the area is catering specifically to schools. A smartphone app called Zum allows parents the opportunity to get their children a private ride.Parents like Liz Nassar said there is one thing they look for in a rideshare company. Safety, thats the No. 1 importance, said Nassar.Her daughter, Devin Nassar-Reis, agrees with her mother. I dont blame her because you dont know that person thats going to be behind the wheel, said Nassar-Reis.According to Uber and Lyft s terms of agreement, riders under the age of 18 arent allowed in their vehicles.Zum is making moves in <a href=https://www.cup-stanley.at>stanley cup</a> Palm Beach County, marketing itself as the safer door-to-door rideshare alternative. Schools Like St Andrews Academy in Boca Raton are taking notice and have enrolled in a year-long p <a href=https://www.cups-stanley.us>stanley cup</a> ilot program of the app. Were the first private school in South Florida to be able to use this type of transportation service, said Carlos Barroso of St. Andrew s Academy.Zum representatives also say their drivers under <a href=https://www.stanley-cups.us>stanley cup</a> go a strict selection process that includes Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice-level background checks and fingerprints.Nassar-Reis, an Florida Atlantic University student on the autism spectrum and living with epilepsy, says she could make use of an expanded service like Zum, especially to help her get to extracurricular activities. A door-to-