Two Women Saved After Swimming Off Atlantic City – Is It Time To Start Issuing Fines? [POLL]

For days we've been warned of conditions being right for dangerous rip currents all along the Jersey shore. We've already had three drowning deaths before the official start of summer. In every warning, you hear the same thing: Don't go in the water when there's no lifeguard on duty.

That brings us to a couple of women who were stranded in the ocean off of Atlantic City Sunday night. They went in while lifeguards were off duty. They say they felt themselves being pulled out and they wound up clinging onto an outfall pipe 30 yards off shore, unable to get back. Brilliant. Atlantic City Fire Department's Rescue Team had to be called out at 7:53pm. A Marine Unit, a ladder and two engines responded. The Platoon 1 Rescue Unit brought the women in. One firefighter injured his foot trying to get the women off the pipe.

Kudos to the first responders, but if people would have some common sense none of this would be necessary. When people are repeatedly warned not to go swimming when there's no lifeguard on duty and they do it anyway, necessitating a tax payer funded rescue, is it time we start hitting these idiots with hefty fines? Or at the very minimum, make them contribute to the cost of their rescue?

It's going to be a long summer people.  Don't be an idiot.