In a Facebook Post the Scarborough Fire Department says they may not be able to rescue you if you get swept away into the pounding waves due to the risk to first responders and the fact that they had to remove their rescue boats from the water. Here is the post:
“Dangerous Surf and Rip Current warnings at Scarborough Beaches”
As Hurricane Lee approaches our coastline, we are confident that it will bring extremely dangerous surf and rip current conditions beginning as early as today and likely lasting until Monday 9/18.
Our Public Safety agencies recognize the allure and draw of a large ocean storm like Lee and that members of the public may feel compelled to make their way to our Scarborough beaches for various reasons. We highly recommend that the public avoid going to the beaches in our community and particularly refrain from activities where you enter the surf.
In an effort to protect our community assets, we will remove our Fire/Harbormaster boats from the water on Friday morning which will result in a significantly diminished ability to effect an ocean rescue until the storm has passed. During the heavy storm period on Saturday, based on real time conditions, and putting responder safety first, we may not be able to launch an emergency response into the ocean at all. This means members of the public who chose to access these dangerous areas could be doing so at great risk to themselves. Please be smart and stay safe!!
Scarborough Public Safety and Emergency Management
