An all-night search and rescue effort involving more than half a dozen public safety agencies led to the rescue of Jeffrey D. Browning, 62, of Flagler Beach, who’d taken his kayak through the waters of Bulow Creek Thursday afternoon and gotten lost deep in its marshes.
Browning had started kayaking around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, pushing off from a property on Osprey Lane in Bulow Plantation. Browning’s first good fortune was his neighbor, Frank Luzefski, a 69-year-old resident of White Feather Lane in Flagler Beach, who’d seen him push off in his gray kayak. Luzefski noticed that the kayak was new, and that Browning appeared a bit unsteady with it. So when he did not return that night, Luzefski got concerned, and reported Browning missing.
The call to 911 came in just before 9 p.m. alerting authorities. A sheriff’s deputy investigated the area around Osprey Lane and located Browning’s sister: she had received a text from Browning at 5 p.m., telling her he was enjoying the day on his kayak, though the text worried her–and her brother did not respond to subsequent texts from her. It was, in fact, Browning’s first time out on the water, according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office report.
The search then kicked up.
A helicopter located him at 2:55 a.m. (at coordinates 29.45784N 81.15299W), but it was not before 6:05 this morning that a Flagler Beach Fire Department marine unit that had waded through a mass of muck and marshes made physical contact with him, bringing him back to an ambulance just before 8 a.m.
“He was a little shaken up, he was a little nervous, scared for being out for so long,” said Flagler Beach Fire Department Lt. Anthony Forte, who led a three-man rescue crew on the marine unit. The others were Driver Engineer Greg Evans and Firefighter Jamal Prince. “He was showing signs of dehydration but he was always alert and orientated, and we did medical assessments every five minutes on him.” He added: “He was very appreciative of seeing us on the ground and being able to get him out. He was always thanking us for being out there and finding him.”
By then, units from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s air unit, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s air unit, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Flagler County Fire Rescue, including Fire Flight, the emergency helicopter, Flagler County Emergency Services, Flagler County IT and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had all had a hand in the rescue.
Forte’s unit was dispatched at 3:42.
“Luckily we had a decent moon that gave enough ambient light to tell us the difference between water and shore,” Forte said. “The crews, Flagler Beach, used the jetski, which was supported by the Sheriff’s Department and FWC. We made our way to the furthest part of the waterway, and then we reached an area where we were closed off. At that point we realized we wouldn’t be able to contact him from direct water.”
The marshes are notoriously rich habitat for poisonous spiders, snakes, alligators, boars, bears. “There’s numerous amounts of large alligators back in that area,” Flagler Beach Fire Department Captain Stephen Cox said.
“We had to go through areas of dry points and then the approach had to go over obstacles such as waste deep slurry, a combination of downed limbs in the water and thick mud that would be up to our waist line,” Forte said. It’s not exactly clear how Browning managed to get lost so deep, but rescuers believe he probably reached that area during high tide. “There was a decent size canal that led back to where we found the canoe. The patient was found about 100 yards from it,” Forte said.
The team got him out through “almost the same premise that we went in,” Forte said, going through the slush and the muck, though by then the sun was rising. “We started using his canoe at first, but we reached an area where we were pretty much encapsulated by high grass,” so the team couldn’t use the canoe. But the man was actually able to walk out under his own power. He would take moments of rest, then move on.
“This is an example of one of the calls that are prolonged and take an intense effort from all agencies involved,” Flagler Beach Fire Department Captain Stephen Cox said this morning. “I couldn’t be more proud to work with a group of professional individuals like the Flagler Beach Fire Department, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Fire Flight, as well as Flagler County IT, who offered to send a drone team to assist with search efforts. It wasn’t needed at the time. We did request them, because there was a time where we didn’t have an air unit, and they do have the capability to put a drone in the air. But Fire Flight was able to come in early today and continue the search efforts.”
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Steve says
Unless you know your way real well the swamp starts to all look the same. Glad the adventure is over for him. Be safe out there
Jimbo99 says
Yep, that and inclement weather can swoop in at a moment without warning in FL. Even the most experienced of outdoorsmen can get that sucker punch from Mother Nature. Flagler & Volusia counties is a gem for this type of recreational, but it’s extremely dangerous. In that marsh, lost & drowning is one challenge, the other is the wildlife of alligators, snakes and whatever else.
Kathy says
Thank you so much for all of your efforts and prayers. I’m so happy you were able to use your skill and teamwork to get this gentleman out. God bless
Roy Longo says
Two counties sent their helicopters to assist in this search which deprived their own taxpayers of air support if needed. When will Flagler County realize the need for 24 hour coverage of it’s own citizens. Flagler Counties own helicopter, FireFlight, has been in service from 8 am to 8 pm since 2008. We have been out of that depression for years, yet the hours still haven’t changed. It is a wasted resource for it to sit in a hanger over night will other agencies fly into our county. If it was a commissioner or one of their family members sitting in a kayak overnight they would spring into action. TIME TO MAKE A DECISION COMMISSIONERS!!!!
Concerned Citizen says
@ Roy Longo
As an Emergency Services volunteer in the area I second that motion.
Flagler County would rather over pay an out of area County Administrator than spring for 2 more pilots. It takes time to get a helo up here from another agency. As a retired Fire Fighter/EMT when you declare a trauma alert seconds litteraly matter. You have to notify dispatch that you need the helo then they reach out to whoever we have a mutual aid agreement with. Then you have to wait and see if they are availiable. What happens when they aren’t? While Fire Flights primary mission is fire fighting it has made a life saving difference on almost every medivac call. Having it sit idle for 12 hours due to “budget issues” is unnaceptable at best. And negligence at worst.
Stretchem says
Wonder why a heli extraction wasn’t done. Seems like that’d be a whole lot easier, faster and cheaper.
Coast Guard Dad says
They would have had to have a Coast Guard MH-65 with a rescue swimmer from Jacksonville. I’m not sure any county agencies train to do that. The CG practices that daily to be able to do it.
Richard says
Thank God he is safe, healthy and unharmed. Shaken up a bit I bet. If ever one needed a satellite GPS this gentlemen is certainly on the list. Plus for anyone wanting to go kayaking in the Bulow Swamp, plan on taking a Satellite GPS with you. PLEASE, don’t rely on your phone for that purpose. Cell towers are not always reliable but Satellites you can count on most of the time.
Elle says
We live on Bulow creek and saw and heard the law enforcement airboat and helicopters. We thought it was a manhunt of a criminal. Glad the guy was found safe.
Jeff says
I’ve kayaked in those marshes across the ICW from Seabridge Riverfront Park. It’s easy to lose your bearings as you navigate through the marshes. I’d like to suggest the public safety agencies install some type of channel markers or signs designating the main channel and then some additional markers along the arteries. You’ve seen these on hiking trails. The markers could be something as simple as a paint strips around the trees (red, right, return, etc.)
T.J. says
this is the reason when me and the boys ride that trail, we never start riding after 5p.m., also the woods can be downright spooky. stay safe, charge your phone, and if able, get a satellite GPS.