06/20/2026
Today at approximately 2:26 pm, Fairhope VFD was dispatched to a technical rescue off of Boone Lane for a person in the river. Chief Chris Ellis immediately responded as the command officer to the scene. Upon arriving to the address, Chief Ellis realized this would be a swift water rescue due to the heavy flooding and called for small watercraft assistance from Daphne, Fish River/Marlow, and Silverhill Fire Departments along with Daphne Search and Rescue. Fairhope Rescue 2 and 3, Engine 4, and Squad 2 with our technical rescue trailer, all responded to the scene.
Captain David Wyatt was able to visually locate the victim hanging on to a tree in the water and communicate with him down river a little bit. Additional firefighters along with an Alabama State Trooper entered the floodwaters (no current) to get a better view of the situation and communicate with the victim. A local citizen’s boat arrived to assist and was able to get the victim in their boat.
Fortunately, the person was rescued thanks to the assistance of many personnel from numerous agencies as well as the boat. Thank you to Medstar, Alabama State Troopers, the various fire departments that assisted, and Baldwin County 911 for the great communication.
