Oak Island Water Rescue Team

Oak Island, North Carolina

The town of Oak Island, North Carolina, is about 20 square miles, including 12 miles of Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Thanks to its beautiful coast and an additional 12 miles of Intracoastal Waterway streams, canals and marshland, the island is a tourist hot spot. In the offseason, the Oak Island population is about 8,000. But come summer, it’s home to nearly 50,000 people.

Helping to keep the residents and vacationers safe is the nonprofit, Oak Island Water Rescue Team. In cooperation with the local fire department, this volunteer organization is focused on emergency response and education. “The reality is every day there is some type of threat from the water,” said Katherine Poirier, Oak Island Water Rescue Team secretary.

Prevention and response

Oak Island Water Rescue Team consists of 24 volunteers trained in emergency rescue. Many have experience in emergency or military service. They’re equipped to act when swimmers or boaters are in distress, whether due to riptides, storms, flooding or other emergencies. The team also assists the local police and fire department with missing persons and the U.S. Coast Guard with search and rescue operations.

Another key focus is the prevention and avoidance of emergencies through education. One way the team approaches education is by operating a flag program that provides the public with beach conditions. For example, green flags indicate no known significant risk, and red flags signify the beach and water are closed to everyone except first responders and other officials because of unsafe conditions.

“Education is the most powerful tool we have,” Poirier said. “If people know what to be concerned with or aware of when they go to the beach—whether it’s for swimming, boating, kayaking or anything else—it helps prevent the loss of life.”

Promotional totes help raise awareness

Oak Island Water Rescue Team works hard to get its message out to the community through its website, social media and public outreach. A one by one^® grant provided branded tote bags opens in new window that were given as gifts at a fall golf tournament fundraiser. These promotional totes not only showed appreciation to the 128 golfers who took part in the annual tournament, they also help drive awareness wherever they go.

“We chose to give out the tote bags because they’re visible,” Poirier said. “And you might think it’s just a simple shopping bag but it’s not. It’s a link to education and to change behavior. It’s awareness.”

A note from Cheryl

Emergency response teams, like Oak Island Water Rescue Team’s group of volunteers, put themselves in harm’s way to save lives. We were pleased to supply promotional totes to help the organization improve visibility and keep Oak Island area residents and visitors safe. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.com.

For more information about Oak Island Water Rescue Team, please visit oiwr.org opens in new window