AC repair inBrunswick, GA

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTGS) — A community is backing a local firefighter who was involved in a head-on collision on Friday night.

Stratton West, who started working as a firefighter at the beginning of 2023, and his three children have been fighting to recover since the incident.

Now, the city of Brunswick and the fire department are supporting the family.

He was on his way with his three children to the Brunswick Fire Station end-of-the-year gathering. What should have been his first function with the firefighters on Friday night, did not happen.

"The last second – a vehicle going northbound (we were going southbound), they turned to try to get into a neighborhood. Basically, we ended up colliding head-on," said West.

Moments after impact, West's only focus was making sure his kids were okay.

"Once the collision happened, I looked over to my son and asked him if he was okay and could get out of the car. He was able to get himself out of the car, but then when I looked over at him, he was on his hands and his knees with blood just pouring from his head."

West said he tried to help his kids himself.

"My girls are in their car seats but they are non-responsive. So, I turn around and attempt to crawl into the backseat to help get them out of the vehicle."

Unfortunately, he couldn’t get to them- as he had a severe displacement on his knees.

"Thankfully a few of the Good Samaritans helped and those that did respond and help was a former ER nurse and an ER Director. So, they took control of the situation," stated West.

Glynn County Fire Department quickly arrived and West’s two daughters were life-flighted. His 3-year-old Kingsley was transported to Jacksonville Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and his 4-year-old Hendryx was transported to Memorial Children’s in Savannah.

He said both of his girls are very strong.

I just know that they’ve been receiving the best and highest level of care a father could want for his kids in that situation.

Both of his girls received emergency brain and skull surgeries.

West and his 11-year-old son Jayden were treated at the UF Health Trauma Center and were discharged Sunday.

He said it will most likely take a few months for his family to fully recover.

The incident caused Brunswick firefighters to group together to help.

When my Captain got the call that there was an accident, he shut everything down at the event and said we need to be there for him," West said. "By the time I got to the hospital, I don’t even know how many guys from the hospital were there.

Since the crash, the firefighters offered West their sick time, watching his dogs, a ride to the doctor, and reassured West if he needed anything his team had his back. West has even received a call from Brunswick’s Mayor checking on his family.

"The one thing I never expected was the fire department and the City of Brunswick they put together a GoFundMe," said West.

Firefighters from around the country have begun to rally behind the West family. Stratton said that firefighters as far as Oregon have been reaching out to him.

"The small town has just rallied around me, the community. I’ve been told from a few of my firefighter buddies that there are people walking past saying 'Hey I heard what happened I hope everything's going to be ok.'"

West said the one thing he loves about being in the fire service is that it is not just a brotherhood in the city, it is a nationwide brotherhood where a fireman can lean on each other.

If you want to donate to the West’s family's GoFundMe page you can find the link here.

The Georgia Ports Authority highlights the strong growth in Ro-Ro traffic at the port of Brunswick, Gerogia as it works to realize the opportunities due to the strong growth in the automotive sector. Through their investments in infrastructure, they look to make Brunswick the top U.S. auto and Ro-Ro port.

Reviewing the state of the ports, GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch highlighted volumes that are already expanding at a strong rate in fiscal 2023 and which they expect to accelerate based on the strength of the automotive sector. In fiscal year 2023, the Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick grew Ro-Ro volumes by 18 percent, to more than 705,000 units of autos and heavy machinery, moving both into and out of the port. This included 610 vessel calls, an increase of 11 percent, with 495 of those specifically at the Colonel’s Island terminal in Brunswick. They also handled approximately 18,500 units in Savannah during the year, volume that will be shifting to Brunswick as it becomes the sole Ro-Ro port and Savannah focuses on containers.

The GPA reported that three-quarters of the volume was imports which facilities, such as areas for pre-delivery inspections, set up specifically to support the import trade. The port also features a new fumigation facility onsite which is the largest facility of its size for autos and machinery. They note this is critical for exports as Australia and New Zealand are requiring fumigation for their imports.

As demand has grown in the automotive sector, and specifically with more manufacturing and OEMs moving production to Mexico, they highlight Georgia is supporting the industry with two services. CMA CGM started a new short-sea service carrying vehicles from Mexico to Brunswick in July and the Gold Star shipping line is starting a similar service this month.

This has helped volume in Brunswick, which was already growing at a strong pace, to see a sharp increase in September. The Colonel’s Island Terminal handled 70,645 Ro-Ro units. Up 61 percent year-over-year.

“The automotive sector has been especially strong and consumer demand is driving this trend,” notes Lynch. “To accommodate anticipated market demand, GPA has initiated an aggressive infrastructure plan, strengthening Colonel’s Island for auto and machinery processing.”

The terminal currently is composed of 1,700 acres with four on-site auto processors while they highlight there are 264 acres of additional space available. Construction was recently completed on 350,000 square feet of near-dock warehousing that serves auto and machinery processing on the north side of Colonel’s Island Terminal. Three additional buildings representing 290,000 square feet and 122 acres of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo storage space are under construction on the south side of the island.

GPA has also won Federal approval for a fourth Ro-Ro berth at Colonel’s Island, to enable more vessel calls. Currently, in the engineering phase, this project will more efficiently accommodate vessels that can carry up to 7,000 vehicles. Other planned improvements include widening the channel and expanding the turning basin at Colonel’s Island to more efficiently handle large vessels as well as increasing rail capacity.

“Our investments in infrastructure capacity are well-timed to support the growing business in our Brunswick gateway,” concludes Lynch. The GPA is confident that with these steps Brunswick is on track to be the top U.S. Ro-Ro port.

Correction: Aroclor 1268, a chemical of local concern in the Brunswick area, was used at what is now the LCP Chemicals Superfund site. It was not manufactured there. A previous version of this article misstated the chemical’s connection to the site.

Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker grew up in public housing just a block away from the Pinova/Hercules chemical plant in Brunswick, he told community members who gathered Tuesday to hear preliminary results of a study of chemical exposure in the area, which is home to four Superfund sites.

“This was not something far off for me. This was personal, like it is for many of you,” he said. “And I participated in the study. And so it was an eye opener.”

The study results showed that blood levels of several chemicals known to have polluted the local environment were higher in study participants than in the average American. Among them were certain polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, and components of the pesticide toxaphene. Both sets of chemicals were produced at nearby factories and the production of both was banned decades ago.

Noah Scovronick, assistant professor in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a co-leader of the study said one question from the local community was driving the work:

“What does it mean to live and to grow up and to raise their families near these sites? Are they affecting people’s exposure to hazardous chemicals?”

The average age of the 100 participants, all adults, was 60 years. About two-thirds were women and a little less than half, 46, were Black. Importantly, they were all long-term residents, having lived there an average of 47 years.

The researchers invited the public to the meeting after first informing the participants of their individual results confidentially in writing. Some of the 150 or so people who filled the community center at Howard Coffin Park identified themselves as study participants.

Researchers analyzed the blood samples for contaminants including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and PCBs, including unique PCBs used at what is now the LCP Chemicals Superfund site, which is managed by Honeywell International Inc. They also tested pesticides that have been banned but persist in the environment, including a component of DDT and of toxaphene, which was also once produced at Hercules. Finally, they tested for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, so called “forever chemicals” used in a variety of products including fire-fighting foam.

The most striking finding came in the PCBs. The study tested for seven different PCBs, including four found commonly in the U.S. population. The other three are part of a brand name chemical called Aroclor 1268, one of the pollutants of local concern used at what is now the LCP Chemicals Superfund site.

“(PCBS) are man made chemicals that were used in electrical equipment like capacitors and transformers, as well as in things like hydraulic fluids, heat transfer, fluid, lubricants, and plasticizers,” Scovronick said. ” … PCBs may affect the immune, reproductive, hormone and nervous systems, and there have been links with cancer.”

Study participants had lower levels of the common PCBs — PCB 118, PCB 138, PCB 152 and PCB 180 — than the average American. But they had higher levels of PCBs that are components of the locally produced Aroclor 168. For PCB 206, which makes up the largest percentage of Aroclor 1268, the study average of 50 parts per trillion was more than twice the American average of 18 parts per trillion. Additionally, about 40% of the participants tested at very high levels, above that seen in 95 percent of the U.S. population.

Average toxaphene levels were also higher in study participants than in the average Canadian, but not dramatically higher. However, about a quarter of the study participants did have very high levels, above that seen in 95 percent of the Canadians studied. Scovronick cautioned toxaphene exposure is not well studied, making the results more difficult to interpret. The comparison to Canadian averages was necessary because the only available study on toxaphene levels was done in Canada.

Study participants had about the same blood levels of two of three metals tested — lead, and mercury — as the average American. Cadmium levels were a little higher in the study participants, but some participants smoked cigarettes, a known source of cadium exposure, so “it’s not something that at this point has set off alarm bells for us,” Scovronick said.

The researchers also tested 25 samples for PFAS, adding this test after realizing that a study done of Sapelo Islanders showed high levels of PFAS and also because local fires have been put out with firefighting foam, which contains the chemical. Because each test requires a certain volume of blood, only 25 of the participants had enough of a sample remaining to complete this test. Levels were about the same as in the average American, though two samples tested very high.

Booker, the executive director of Rebuilding Together of Glynn County, helped get the ball rolling on the study by partnering with other community groups to hear residents’ concerns about living in a county with a long legacy of industrial pollution.

Along with the four Superfund sites, the county also has 16 other toxic waste sites, Booker said.

Like Booker, other residents have seen family members die from cancer and pulmonary diseases and wondered if chemical contamination was the cause and if they were at risk, too.

The study, funded through a pilot grant from Emory University’s NIH-supported Exposome Research Center, has not yet been peer reviewed, though the researchers expect to go through that process over the next 12-18 months. Scovronick also listed a number of study caveats at the outset of the public meeting.

The study cannot answer when or how an exposure occurred, or what exactly the exposure means for a person’s health, Scovronick explained.

“So even if somebody tests high for a particular chemical, we can’t tell you whether it was because you ate seafood, or whether it was because you worked at one of these sites or whether there was some other way you may have been exposed,” he said. “And the other thing is that we did not collect information on health impacts on any diseases that people may be experiencing. The study is not about whether the exposures are actually causing health problems.”

Next steps include Emory University doctors organizing webinars for healthcare providers in Brunswick. Attendees can learn about how they should be thinking about their patients who may be exposed to some of these chemicals.

The nonprofit Coastal Community Health is already well versed in these issues and has opened a clinic in downtown Brunswick, convenient for many of those who partipated in the study, said CEO Dr. Kavanaugh Chandler, who emphasized the importance of affordable healthcare.

“Let’s just say hypothetically you were exposed,” he said. “Your lifespan could be extended if you just got basic care.”

Along with Coastal Community Health and Rebuilding Together of Glynn County, other community groups involved in the study include the Environmental Justice Advisory Board, One Hundred Miles, Glynn Environmental Coalition, UGA Marine Extension, Coastal Equity and Resilience Hub and the Community First Planning Commission.

Community groups are already working to reduce exposures to pollutants through education, including seafood advisories which note the types and locations of Glynn County fish and shellfish most likely to be contaminated as well as how much is safe to eat.

The Emory researchers intend to expand the study and are preparing to seek funding.

“If we did a complete study on 500 people that looked at these and other exposures and included health outcomes, and in depth questionnaires it would cost in the ballpark of a $1 million or more,” Scovronick said.

That’s exactly what study participants like Anita Collins want to see.

“I participated in this because it needs to be done and there needs to be more where you have a larger number of people, because so many of us we grew up right there by Hercules,” she said.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The families of the three missing Georgia fishermen announced on Tuesday they would suspend their active search after exhausting every lead they had.

The three missing men — Tyler Barlow, Caleb Wilkinson and Dalton Conway — left Brunswick, Georgia on Oct. 14 for a fishing trip and were scheduled to return on Oct. 18, but they disappeared.

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After weeks of active search, the Coast Guard suspended their efforts on Oct. 26. But the families of the three missing men kept the search going with the help of private crews and volunteers.

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Debris from the boat of three missing Georgia fishermen was found 16 miles off the coast of St. Augustine on Nov. 19, according to the United Cajun Navy. On Nov. 20, the United Cajun Navy posted a photo of a possible empty life raft seen in the water.

This discovery reignited the efforts to search for the missing boaters. However, Tyler’s dad, Chris, said none of the boat wrecks and debris found have been linked to the Carol Ann boat.

“All family members and I do hold onto hope that we will be presented with a miracle as we have put this in God’s hands now and pray that he returns Tyler, Caleb and Dalton home to us safely,” Chris wrote in a Facebook post.

MORE | Families, supporters light up St. Marys as search continues for 3 missing Brunswick fishermen

Chris said the last helicopter searching for the three men landed at 4:38 p.m. Tuesday, and it will be their last flight unless they receive new information.

As they suspend the search, Chris asks the community to keep a lookout while boating or visiting beaches — hoping it may help them “put the remaining pieces of this horrific puzzle together.”

Chris also said the families will be pushing for legislative changes to prevent this from happening to anyone in the future.

3 men have not been seen since they left for a four-day fishing trip on Oct. 14

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'I'm going to fight': Families of 3 missing boaters continue search in hopes of finding their sons

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Tyler Barlow, Caleb Wilkinson and Dalton Conway have been gone for three weeks on what was planned to be a four-day fishing trip.

The trio left Brunswick, Georgia, on Oct. 14 on board the Carol Ann and were scheduled to return on Oct. 18, but they disappeared.

The Coast Guard’s search for them spanned 94,000 square miles and four states. No trace of them has been found so far.

RELATED: Coast Guard searching for 3 fishermen missing off coast of Brunswick

The families of the men believe they will be found and have hired private crews to pick up where the Coast Guard left off.

“So we took it into our own hands and have had to pull in resources like the United States Cajun Navy, Deemi Research,” said Kim Jones, Barlow’s mother. “They are hardy. These boys know how to survive.”

RELATED: ‘It’s just very stressful’: Sister of missing Georgia fisherman says she’s unhappy with how search progressing

The families gathered dozens of supporters Saturday evening to light up downtown St. Marys in what they called a night of hope and prayer. They want to keep the hope alive that the three men will come home.

“They literally went out go fishing and God, whatever his plan is whatever his will is, is using these boys not to catch literal fish but literally to catch people’s hearts,” Jones said.

Shirts and other items were being sold at the vigil to raise money to support the private searches for the fishermen.

Stevie Conway, Dalton’s sister and Wilkinson’s partner, is four months pregnant with Wilkinson’s child.

It’s literally a roller coaster of emotions,” Stevie Conway said of the search for the missing boaters. “I’m doing the best I can.”

Stevie Conway and Jones said the private search has gone from Maine to Florida with boaters and planes helping. They even pay for photographers to fly in the planes to capture images of anything that is below like debris.

Also helping with the search is Airtec, a company that has a fleet of planes that could be used for searching.

Stevie Conway has asked for the public’s continued assistance with finding her loved ones.

“Anybody that’s able to help continue this search we would greatly appreciate it,” she said. “We’re doing what we can on our behalf with our friends and family with the people we know.”

Earlier, she shared with News4JAX the last text messages between her and Wilkinson.

On Oct. 14 at 2:53 p.m. he sent her a message saying, “We’re leaving the dock now I’m not sure when I’ll lose signal.”

The last message on the thread said, “I’ll be missing y’all.”

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