ALE Aviation Division Helps Life Guards Keep Our Beaches Safe

ALE Aviation Division Helps Life Guards Keep Our Beaches Safe

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Aviation Division will be ready to deploy rescue swimmers from the air to quickly reach those in distress on Pleasure Island during the busy spring and summer tourist seasons. The specialized, proactive program partners with local fire departments to deploy rescue swimmers from helicopters for rapid, life-saving rescues, targeting high-risk rip current periods, areas with limited lifeguard coverage, holidays and summer weekends. The initiative is designed to be proactive rather than reactive, using aerial surveillance to identify, reach, and rescue distressed swimmers in seconds and utilizing local first responders who are also trained rescue swimmers. The program is supported by a $400,000 ALE general fund appropriation. It significantly reduces response times to high-risk rip current situations and provides “eyes in the sky” for monitoring, ensuring increased safety for both residents and visitors.