14th annual Public Safety Day kicks off hurricane season

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — With 2019 hurricane season officially underway, the United States Coast Guard Oak Island station and neighboring public safety agencies want you to prepared.

Petty Officer Micheal Roberts calls the 14th annual Public Safety Day at the Oak Island station an open house for the general public to see what the Coast Guard and the other local agencies do including Oak Island Police, Oak Island Fire Department and the Water Rescue team. He says this is an opportunity to engage with first responders outside of an emergency like a hurricane.

“We get multiple calls every year from people that are on vacation that do want to try to see the boats, see the facilities, and talk with the people that are public safety,” Roberts said.  “This is just a great opportunity for people to be able to come onto our facility, see all the vessels and speak with local first responders.”

Robert says, following the overwhelming effort between public safety and residents during Hurricane Florence, the agencies wanted to coordinate the event with the start of the 2019 season.

“[These public safety officer] can tell you how to stay out of those bad situations and what you can do if you do end up in one and where you can best go such as having a plan for a house fire and having a plan for any emergency you might encounter,” Roberts said.