Firefighter rescues 2 from ocean, including one who jumped from Garden City Pier
It was the screaming and people running along the Garden City Pier that first caught Brad Bemis’ attention.
Bemis was sitting with his wife and friends at the pier on April 15 when he overheard that a person had jumped from the pier and into the ocean. The man was floating face down in the water, Bemis said.
Bemis, a captain and lifeguard instructor with the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District, has been trained to jump into action when necessary. On this day, although the off-duty firefighter was wearing cargo shorts and flip-flops and the water was freezing, he didn’t hesitate to run down to the beach and swim out to save the 20-year-old man who was drowning.
“It was just instinct to do what I was trained to do,” Bemis said by phone Monday.
And while he is prepared for such incidents, what he wasn’t prepared for that day was to rescue two people instead of one.
Bemis now will be honored for his efforts Thursday by the American Red Cross. He will receive a Lifesaving Award – Certificate of Merit, the highest honor bestowed on Red Cross-trained individuals who have no obligation to respond to an emergency but do so anyway, according to an American Red Cross release.
Surfboard used to bring swimmers ashore
As Bemis was a good distance out in the water, working his way to the swimmer, he heard somebody else jump into the water.
“I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Bemis said.
Another person also had jumped off the pier to aid in the rescue of the first man. Now both swimmers were struggling in the water, which was rough that day from the rip currents, Bemis said. “It was difficult swimming,” he said.
Thankfully a person brought their surfboard to the water, helping Bemis bring both swimmers to shore.
Police and rescue crews responded and were able to treat the swimmers.
“It’s extremely dangerous to jump off the pier,” the 44-year-old said. “The ocean was beating us pretty hard. I was pretty fortunate that another Good Samaritan assisted with his surfboard. Together we brought everybody in.”
Pier jumper ‘wanted to feel free’
The 20-year-old who jumped off the pier was transported to the hospital, according to an Horry County Police incident report.
The incident happened about 2 p.m.
The man told officers that “he wanted to feel free and jump off the pier,” the report said. The report said that the defendant was advised that it was illegal to jump off the pier and “his actions caused a multi-agency emergency response that jeopardized the public’s safety.”
The man was charged with violating the Horry County ordinance that prohibits diving or jumping from piers.
Rip currents have caused a number of rescues
Bemis, originally from Massachusetts, has been with the fire department since 2016.
The Conway resident said the rip currents have been bad this year, which has led to a number of rescues of people from the ocean.
“It has been a very rough year for water personnel from North Myrtle to Georgetown,” Bemis said. “If you’re going to be in the ocean, be aware of what’s going on, but also know how to swim. Mother Nature is very strong.”
