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South Walton Fire District to commemorate attacks of September 11

Public invited to attend the moment of silence To commemorate the (10) ten year anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, the South Walton Fire District will pause for a moment of silence Sunday September 11, 2011. Special t-shirts were purchased, at no cost to the Fire District, and will be worn by members of SWFD to honor the 343 firefighters that sacrificed their lives that day in addition to the thousands of innocent lives that were lost. “Each of us...

South Walton Fire District urges businesses to comply with Aldridge-Benge Fire Fighter Safety Act

Required sign compliance provides potential life saving environment for firefighters The Aldridge-Benge Firefighter Safety Act, which was unanimously passed by both the Florida House and Senate and became state law in late 2010, has not completely been adopted by all area businesses meeting this criteria. Florida Statute 633.027, requires the owners of commercial, industrial, and multi-unit residential buildings (three or more units) in Florida to be marked with an emblem to warn firefighters of the use of lightweight floor and...

Rough surf conditions in South Walton from tropical storm Don

Red flags flying today Tropical storm Don brings rough conditions to the beaches of South Walton July 28, 2011.  The bumpy/choppy surf conditions this morning are a windy swell building a bit this afternoon into SSE winds 10-15 knots. South Walton Fire District advises staying close to shore.  Even though the wave heights are only around 2 feet, there WILL BE some strong rip currents across our beaches today. Rip current risk: high…a high risk of rip currents means that wind,...

Brush fire raged in Santa Rosa Beach

Fire now contained Updated 6:50 p.m. A several acre brush fire raged in Santa Rosa Beach July 14 near the South Walton High School. The fire was located between the rear of the high school and J.D. Miller Road. There were no evacuations ordered according to Asst. Chief Mark Anderson. Both South Walton Fire District and Dept. of Forestry worked the scene along with assistance from Okaloosa, Ocean City, Fort Walton, Freeport Fire and Walton County Emergency Management. South Walton...

Strong rip currents keep SWFD busy with rescues

More than a dozen people rescued from the Gulf July 2 The SWFD responded to four water rescue calls involving eight distressed swimmers by 11:30 a.m. July 2 and four more by 2 p.m. As SWFD lifeguards worked tirelessly to warn beach goers of the inherent dangers that the surf conditions presented, many times their warnings were ignored requiring the lifeguards to perform rescues. The South Walton Fire District (SWFD) would strongly encourage all beach goers to familiarize themselves with...

Walton County temporarily removes hay bales and barriers from beaches

Bales and concrete barriers placed at strategic locations until needed Walton County Sheriff’s personnel and Walton County Public Works employees have removed hay bales and are in the process of removing concrete barriers off South Walton County Beaches.  The material has been placed at a strategic location in the event it has to be redeployed. Walton County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Operations Center Director, Captain Mike Barker says, “Every effort is being made to ensure that marine life is not affected...

South Walton Fire District (SWFD) Junior Lifeguard Program tryouts May 22

Junior Lifeguard season runs June 29 – July 29 The South Walton Fire District’s (SWFD) Beach Safety Division is excited to announce its 2010 Junior Lifeguard Program. The SWFD Junior Lifeguard Program will be under the supervision of Gary Wise, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director and South Walton Fire District Professional Lifeguards. Qualifying boys and girls ages (9–15) will be instructed in many aspects of beach and water safety and environmental topics. Registration is limited. There is a...

South Walton Fire District Chief receives highest honor

SWFD Chief Rick Talbert Florida’s Fire Chief of the Year From the office of Senator
 Don Gaetz TALLAHASSEE — South Walton Fire District (SWFD) Chief Rick Talbert was honored April 12 as Florida’s Fire Chief of the Year. Chief Talbert received the state’s highest award for leadership in the firefighting service during ceremonies at Florida’s Capitol where Senator Don Gaetz joined other state officials in paying tribute to Talbert. A career veteran of the fire service, Talbert was chosen by the firefighter community...