VIDEO: Many St. Augustine first responders are back home with their families after a very busy week. The St. Augustine Fire Chief says they had 26 rescues during Hurricane Ian.
One St. Augustine firefighter, Hardus Oberholzer, was part of many of those dangerous missions.
He says the department has a saying: "The more risk, the more you save." He said he was a part of so many rescues, he really didn’t have a specific count – but at least 10 to 15.
“I knew they were just kind of racking up," said Oberholzer. "They were almost on a waiting list. We finished one, we dropped them off, turned around, and went off.”
The calls picked up during the Thursday high tide as water pushed up driveways and into homes.
“They were all kind of the same," said Oberholzer.