Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire captain to be honored for lifesaving actions near pier

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – A captain with the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District will be recognized for his heroic efforts while off the job.

Back in April, Captain Brad Bemis was off duty and enjoying a day at the beach with his family at the Garden City Pier when he noticed a man drowning.

Bemis quickly took action and swam into the cold ocean waters in just shorts and flip-flops to rescue the man.

While he was rescuing the man, he noticed another person struggling in the waters. The other person had jumped into the waters to try and rescue the man.

After he brought the first person to shore, Bemis went back for the second person drowning near the pier and got them safely back to shore.

Because of his lifesaving actions, Bemis will be honored at 11 a.m. on August 17 with the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit. The Certificate of Merit is the highest honor given to those who are trained by the Red Cross and have no obligation to respond to an emergency but do so anyway.

The ceremony will be held at the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District Headquarters located at 3641 Highway 17 Business.

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