Latest news with #TripBarrs
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fire Chief urges caution after woman pulled from water at Treasure Island Beach
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — As Memorial Day weekend kicks into gear, it is important to remember to stay vigilant in the water, especially after a near-drowning that took place Friday evening and left one woman in the hospital. According to City of Treasure Island Fire Chief Trip Barrs, responders were called to the beach around 2:30 p.m. Friday for an EMS incident. WFLA spoke with Chief Barrs, who said that a woman was swimming with her family when she either had a medical emergency or was overcome by the surf. Chief Barrs also imparted some safety practices for people as we head into the holiday weekend. 'Certainly it's not just for kids. Definitely keep an eye on your kids — it's going to be crowded out there. There's going to be folks drinking, and not in their right minds, and making not the best decisions, so it's best if you are aware of your surroundings,' said Chief Barrs. 'When someone from your party goes in the water, keep an eye on them. Don't overdo it, don't overexert yourself. If you do get caught in a rip current, go with the flow of the rip and swim parallel to the beach until you get out of it, and then you can come back. It's best to expend your energy signaling to someone that you're in trouble than trying to fight a rip current, becoming overwhelmed, and drowning.' The woman was taken to the hospital, and her condition remains unknown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Treasure Islands officials meet to talk about lessons learned after back-to-back hurricanes
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — The city of Treasure Island has prepared an after-action report, showing what might have been done better before devastating back-to-back hurricanes. City Fire Chief Trip Barrs said during the first storm, only about an estimated 30% of city residents evacuated, despite repeated warnings. 'We actually went through neighborhoods on PA systems, we had our public information officer giving out warnings,' said Barrs. Sadly, some people died in Treasure Island during Hurricane Helene as a result of the storm surge. 'We had four fatalities during Hurricane Helene, they were all water-related. There comes a point where we can not come and get you, once you realize you made a bad decision,' said city also learned that its own aging buildings were not constructed to survive major hurricanes. Fire stations, built in the 60s, will have to be replaced. 'We lost everything. We got inundated with three and a half feet of water in our police and fire stations. So, we are going to rebuild. We are in the process of selecting an architect now and of course it will be outside the flood plane,' said Barrs. The Treasure Island City Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the after-action reports and to talk about what can be done better during the next hurricane season. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
