County adopts emergency locator system

Historic City News would like to recognize Eagle Scout Andrew Domingoes, a 16-year-old member of Troop 274 in St. Augustine, for crafting a simple but potentially lifesaving plan to protect visitors to St. Johns County beaches.

Thanks to Domingoes, St. Johns County will adopt a new emergency locator system that will help the general public identify specific beach locations. Rescue personnel say the new system is critical and will improve response times when visitors can communicate their exact location to emergency personnel.

The new system uses eight color-coded zones with numbers, which have been installed on existing trash can stands along the beach on Anastasia Island. This was a good solution because trash cans are easily visible on the beach, even from a distance.

The coordinating zones have been put on a map and distributed to emergency personnel, including the Sheriff’s Office, Marine Rescue, Fire Rescue, Police Department, Environmental Division and Recreation and Parks staff.

Domingoes got the idea when he was at the beach and noticed there was no accurate way to tell someone where he was. After speaking with local law enforcement, he realized the need to put such a system in place.

“This seemed like a great idea for my Eagle Scout service project, and a great way to truly help the community,” Domingoes said. “I wanted to do a project that would make an impact, maybe even save lives.”

Karen Pan, Public Affairs Specialist in the Office of the County Administrator said, “We are pleased to implement the new system, which will be helpful in locating injured wildlife, marine debris, and other emergencies that may arise on these beaches”.