Burton fire official swims out to save boaters

When a call came in Saturday evening that four people in kayaks had flipped over in the river, Burton Deputy Fire Chief Tom Webb didn’t hesitate to jump in the water.

Webb was at home when he heard the call just after 7 p.m. that the kayakers couldn’t swim and were in distress, according to a Burton Fire District news release. He went straight to the end of Harding Street in Burton where two kayakers were still in the Harbor River, about 75 feet away from the dock, according to the release.

The deputy chief walked into the marsh and started swimming toward the man and woman, according to the release. Only the woman was wearing a life jacket, so Webb kept the man afloat while he helped them both back to land.

Burton firefighters and Beaufort Water Search and Rescue responded and threw 100 feet of rope from the dock to pull them back in, according to the release. The two men and two women who were kayaking were treated on scene but didn’t need to be transported to the hospital.

Deputy Chief Tom Webb is rescue team leader with South Carolina’s Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, according to the release. He was involved in the rescue missions during the flooding in Columbia in 2015.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Burton fire official swims out to save boaters."