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Man uses life-saving rings installed at Oak Island to rescue girls

Two children were rescued at Caswell Beach last weekend thanks to newly-installed safety equipment.

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Life-saving rings installed at Oak Island save girls
SOUTHPORT, N.C. — Two children were rescued at Caswell Beach last weekend thanks to newly-installed safety equipment.
The Southport Fire Department posted to Facebook, saying they responded to a call about two girls screaming for help in the water.

When emergency crews arrived at the beach, the kids were already out of the ocean thanks to the help of a bystander who used floating tubes recently installed at every public beach access near Oak Island.

The Life Safety Rings were installed by the Jack Helbig Foundation with help from the Southport Fire Department to prevent drowning and deaths.

The wife of the man who rescued the girls said:

"My husband noticed two young girls struggling to swim far out in the ocean yelling for help. He ran out to save them since he is a swimmer. The waves were strong. Other dads followed and one grabbed the ring. My husband was able to grab her and let her use that to hold onto so he could grab the other girl and bring them both in. He said if he had waited another minute those girls wouldn’t have made it. So it did help him. Treading water and holding them up with waves going over their heads. The ocean isn’t something to mess with. I’m super proud of my husband."

The Jack Helbig Memorial Foundation, founded in Southport, is a nonprofit that works to help adults and children learn how to be safe in water.

People drown every year at N.C.'s beaches. Over Memorial Day weekend, the National Weather Service confirmed that at least 16 people were rescued along Carolina Beach, three people were rescued at Wrightsville Beach and four people were rescued from Myrtle Beach.

The rings aren't the only safety addition to N.C. beaches this year. Earlier this summer in the Outer Banks, officials installed colorful poles to illustrate for residents how quickly flood conditions can become dangerous.

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