JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department has a new tool in its tool box -- a rip current simulator advancing water rescue technology for local first responders.
It’s called the “Slipstream,” designed to prepare both rescue personnel and the community for dangerous aquatic conditions.
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Dallas Cooke, JFRD’s Division Chief of Rescue, demonstrated the newly acquired machinery, emphasizing its dual role in public education and rigorous responder training.
“We are demonstrating our newly acquired rip current simulator while we’re teaching the community and, most importantly, our personnel how to respond when dealing with water incidents such as rip currents,” Cooke said.
The introduction of the simulator comes at a critical time for the region. Florida’s vast coastlines, community pools, lakes, and retention ponds mean residents and visitors are constantly surrounded by water.
According to Cooke, the area has recently seen an uptick in traumatic water-related incidents, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced preparation.
“While rip current safety is important, overall water safety is the most important thing,” Cooke said. “This equipment is going to allow us to better prepare our responders when dealing with incidents on the water.”
The Slipstream simulator offers an unprecedented level of realism for regional training. Capable of moving up to 3,000 gallons of water, the machine allows instructors to perfectly dial in the intensity of the water flow.
“We can titrate it up and make it as easy as a lazy river or as forceful to simulate the actual environment in the ocean when encountering a rip current,” Cooke said.
This controlled environment is a game-changer for JFRD’s ocean lifeguards and specialized swift water rescue teams. While Cooke acknowledged that no machine can completely replicate every unpredictable variable of the open ocean, the Slipstream provides crucial, realistic exposure without the inherent dangers of live ocean drills.
“This tool allows us to simulate rip currents in a more controlled environment,” Cooke said. “It allows our responders to put themselves in similar environments as they would experience in the actual ocean. This is as close as it gets.”
“It was tough,” Bailey Judah, a captain at JFRD Ocean Rescue, said after experiencing the simulator for the first time. “It definitely simulates a real riptide out in the current. A real one’s a little more kind of all over, but that one does a good job of it.”
“Feel how the different strengths can be and how far it can keep pushing you. You can be at the other end of the pool and you’re still feeling it,” Judah said.
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“It can get exhausting and time feels timeless,” Judah said. “Which is why we emphasize calming down once you get your wits back. Once you are more calm, then you can swim parallel to the beach and get out of the rip current.”
With the beaches drawing visitors year-round, JFRD officials hope the simulator will reinforce life-saving habits. Caleb Gill, a supervisor with JFRD Ocean Rescue, noted that identifying a rip current from the shore and knowing how to react are the keys to survival.
According to Gill, beachgoers can spot a rip current by looking for areas where waves are not breaking, or by noticing if they are gradually drifting out to sea compared to bystanders on the shore.
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“The best thing to do if you’re stuck in a rip current is just try your best to float and relax and don’t fight the current whatsoever,” Gill advised. “To the best of your ability, wave for help by using one arm, and use your legs and other arm to help tread water if necessary.”
The Jacksonville City Council approved $13,900 in grant funding from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to JFRD to purchase the specialized rip current simulator.
The state-funded grant will completely reimburse the city for the equipment and associated training expenses.
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