With a somber expression, Orange Beach Fire Chief Forney Howard stepped up to the podium to address the City Council at its weekly meeting Tuesday night. He prepared to deliver good news, but with a heavy heart.

“If some of you look at the screen, you’ll see a picture of a beautiful young lady,” Howard said, indicating a photo of a young, blonde girl on the projector screen. Her eyes are blue.

“If you’re wondering why we are where we are now, it’s because of that young lady.”

Her name is Molly. She was 13 and had dreams of working in children’s ministry. She had just returned from a church trip to San Diego, Calif., feeding homeless children before losing her life in the waters of Panama City, Fla., July 2, 2003.

“At this moment, the City of Orange Beach is on the scene at Turquoise with four swimmers that our patrol pulled out of the water. That’s the end product of what I’m trying to explain to you,” Howard said.

Motivated by the drowning death of their daughter, Tommy and Becky Bryant have campaigned for the past seven years for cities to improve beach safety in coastal cities. They have not always been met with cooperation, according to the Bryants.

“Over those years many doors have been closed due to excessive excuses, including equipment costs, man power, apathy and the fear of responsibility,” the Bryants wrote in a prepared statement.

The Bryants met Howard during a weekend vacation to Orange Beach last year, beginning a collaboration to improve safety standards on the city’s beaches.

On March 19, the city started “Molly’s Patrol,” under Aquatics Coordinator Melvin Shepard, with lifeguards patrolling beaches on weekends. Last week, the staff was increased and the coverage area was expanded. The lifeguards now patrol seven days a week.

The city has been able to add a third patrol thanks to donations and efforts from the Bryants, Howard said.

“You hate to use the old cliché, ‘something good out of something bad,’ but that’s what has happened here,” Howard said.

“If it wasn’t for these two individuals and their donation to the city and the fire department, we would not be able to put that third unit on the beach,” he said.

20 rescues

Since the patrol’s inception, the squad has taken 226 preventative measures and performed 20 rescues. “Molly’s Patrol” is emblazoned in red on the lifeguards’ shirtsleeves and on stickers on the back of beach vehicles.

“This is only the beginning. We have no intentions of stopping,” Becky Bryant said. 

Molly’s Patrol is the latest undertaking in Orange Beach’s ongoing efforts to improve beach safety, city administrator Ken Grimes said. The Daily Beach Report and information about the warning flag system, provided by Shepard, is available by calling 251-981-SURF. 

“In my nine years working here in Orange Beach, this effort and program is one of the most important and critical efforts that I believe we could have put into place,” Grimes said. “It is a great feeling to know you are able to take a tragedy to create opportunity to help others. The Bryants have played a significant role in making this a reality.”