Daphne firefighters rescue families by boat during severe flooding, receive Smiles Behind the Shield Award
DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) — It's been more than two weeks since major flooding shut down roads in Baldwin County after heavy rain made its way to the Gulf Coast.
Mobile County Sheriff's Office K-9 and sergeant educate students on internet safety, receive Smiles Behind the Shield Award
A video shows three Daphne firefighters navigating a rescue boat through Spanish Fort neighborhoods during the flash flooding that trapped people in their homes earlier this month.
'We were able to get in contact with the family,' Capt. Joseph Staska said. 'It was two adults and a child, and then later on, we ended up coming in contact with a couple more individuals as well.'
In all, 11 people and a dog were rescued on the Eastern Shore that night. Helping out surrounding agencies is something Daphne Fire is used to doing.
'They know what kind of materials we have, training we have, and sometimes they need us to supplement their training and expertise,' Staska said. 'So they come to us, we go to them.'
Our Smiles Behind the Shield winners, Capt. Joseph Staska, engineers Grant Everhart and Tyler Harrison said the rescue boat is a fairly new piece of equipment for their department, a vital tool to help save lives on the Eastern Shore.
'It just started about three years ago, so we're learning and as we learn; we go out, and we go like to our neighboring departments,' Everhart said. 'We were called at Robertsville the other day. We provide that service. So if you have a water emergency, whether it be flood or you're in a boat accident or anything, you call and we're going to come.'
'It's awesome to be able to serve the citizens of Daphne and help them any way we can,' Harrison said.
got a closer look at their fully loaded boat.
'It's a 15-foot Inmar. It's an inflatable with a rigged bottom,' Everhart said as he showed us around.
It may look small, but it fits 10 people.
'We utilize this in flood water situations because we can actually take it off the trailer by hand and then we can launch it in rougher water on the causeway,' Everhart said. 'Most of the time we go out there it seems to be when it's bad weather, so this boat can take on water then drain through the hole called scuppers, so that allows us not to sink.'
There's a black bag at the front of the boat that holds things like life jackets, helmets, headlamps and binoculars with an EMS bag and oxygen tank attached to it.
'It's proved worthy,' Daphne Fire Chief LeAnn Tacon said. 'We had situations where there were people needing to be rescued out on the water, and we couldn't get to them, so that's when we went to the mayor and council and said, you know, can we get a boat? And it's worked well. I mean, we've used it quite a few times.'
Since March 2022, 23 people and three dogs have been rescued.
Twin brothers with Prichard Fire-Rescue win over Girl Scout troop
'I'm proud of these guys, they take it seriously and train a lot with it,' Chief Tacon said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Something brewing in the Caribbean? Meteorologists say it's social media hype
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — You may have seen it on social media: eye-catching graphics of GFS model projections featuring a monster hurricane headed straight for the Gulf coast. Some accounts posted about this hypothetical storm weeks in advance, stoking anxiety in a hurricane-weary region of the country. What to expect during the 2025 hurricane season | Tracking the Tropics On Tuesday's edition of Tracking the Tropics, our team of meteorologists addressed those concerns and issued a warning to social media users who encounter these long-range projections online: Don't buy into the hype. 'Especially coming off of such a terrible season for Florida, where so many folks are going to be recovering for the next couple of years, there's just a heightened sense of anxiety. Storm anxiety is a real thing,' WKRG Chief Meteorologist Ed Bloodsworth said. 'Nerves are just heightened now. Folks are trying to rebuild their lives, get back to what will be their new normal. The last thing you want to do is scare them with nonsense. That's why you want to trust your local meteorologists.' Long-range models, like the GFS, often spin up phantom storms that don't come to fruition. These projections have low confidence more than a few days out. 'No, we're not going to see a Category 4 hurricane in 10 days in the Gulf. That's just not going to happen,' Max Defender 8 Meteorologist Rebecca Barry said. 'The confidence is so low. It's not even worth worrying about at this point.' The social media graphics and video thumbnails may look official, but our team of meteorologists says you should listen to the experts – not influencers who rely on clicks and follows. 'I get paid whether I post anything on Facebook or not. I get paid to do my job as a meteorologist,' Barry said. 'There are a lot of people on social media that are getting paid through social media, so if they don't post something that gets a lot of likes, shares and interactions, they don't get paid that day. That leads them to make different decisions than I would on social media. Some of them I would consider not the best decisions.' Barry's advice? Look at everything on social media with a critical eye. 'I just want people to think about who they follow on social media. Think before you share one of those posts,' Barry said. 'What are the motives? If the confidence is that low, it doesn't deserve any space in your brain or in your day.'Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
2025 hurricane season begins — why you should prepare for expected ‘above average' season
FOLEY, Ala. (WKRG) — The forecast is still quiet for now, but hurricane season is just getting started. Sunday marks the first day of the 2025 hurricane season, and from now through the end of November, everyone will be keeping a close eye on the tropics. MPD: Two people shot at Saenger Theatre in downtown Mobile 'A hurricane can change everything,' Phillip Wilson, with Paris Ace Hardware in Foley, said. 'After Sally, you know, my house was without power for two weeks.' At his store, the shelves are already stocked with all the essentials. 'It means we're having to be prepared to anticipate things that you might not normally think of throughout the rest of the year. It means having batteries. It means having other supplies on hand,' Wilson said. This year, experts are calling for an . That has people double-checking their hurricane kits to ensure they have everything they need in case of an emergency. UPDATE: 75-year-old man shot, killed by Mobile police after pointing gun at officers 'We'll stock up on water and maybe some batteries and whatnot,' Al Mullins, a Baldwin County resident, said. 'We'll get the hurricane lanterns and all that stuff, and we have a generator.' Once a storm is in the Gulf, stores can sell out of certain items fast. That's why it's important to stock up now. 'What people don't anticipate is how scarce supplies come. We can sell out of chainsaws in a day, and we may not be able to get any in,' Wilson said. 'We try to anticipate, we try to stock extra amounts, but you don't know if you'll even be able to drive down the street.' 'The closer the storms get, the less the big box stores are going to have supplies,' Mullins added. 'The plywood is going to disappear, the water is going to disappear. 'You don't want to wait till the last minute because you never know when you have to run.' UPDATE: Mobile Police says crashed cruiser was responding to gunshots call When it comes to hurricanes, being ready early can make all the difference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Yahoo
Baldwin County road closure extended for bridge replacement
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — The Baldwin County Highway Department says a bridge replacement project will take a little longer than expected. Pensacola police provide new details in car crash with jogger Crews are working to replace a bridge on Sherman Road between Bay Road East and County Road 12 South. Engineers say unexpected circumstances have necessitated a redesign of the bridge pilings, which will make this portion of Sherman Road impassable until at least Sept. 12. Weather conditions could also delay the project. Mobile County woman celebrates 105th birthday Motorists are asked to follow the detour signs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.