Amazing and innovative safety placards up across Toms River, NJ beaches

🏖 There are innovative beach placards now in place on Toms River beaches

🏖 The placards will act as markers where you can use location info for emergencies

🏖 In the event of an emergency, this will allow first responders to get there even faster

If you're heading to a beach in Toms River this summer, you'll notice some signs with TR and a number on them.

The tragedy in Chadwick Beach in May of 2022 -- the offseason -- where 18-year old Levi Caverly of Maine died after becoming trapped inside a 10-foot hole he and his sister had been digging, is a big reason for this placard initiative.

"It was kind of difficult to figure out what walk they were on so we had asked the guys from the (Toms River) township recreation (department) to help us identify the walks so that when people call 911 they an give us a better idea of where they're located," Ocean Beach Volunteer Fire Company Chief Drew Calvo said.

The placards are facing the street side and the beach side labeling the exact location on all the Toms River beaches.

If you find yourself in trouble or see someone else in trouble on the beach, you'd just relay over your location in making the 911 call similar to how you might if you get into or need to report an accident on the Garden State Parkway using the mile-marker sign.

"Obviously, the best thing is to try and give us the street access that you came in on -- that'll definitely help us -- or, the beach that you might be in, but, these are just trying to make them a little more specific for our response," Calvo said.

These placards are a game-changer that will help first responders in the event of any emergency.

"It'll definitely help us expedite the response from all three agencies -- Police, Fire, EMS combined -- so we can make sure we can get there as quick as we can with the resources that we need," Calvo said.

There are a couple of annual reminders to be mindful of this summer as well.

"The biggest things are just keep an eye on these rip currents - don't swim where the lifeguards aren't present, the rip currents are pretty gnarly this year with the way the sand has moved from some of the storms we've had recently," Calvo said.

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The other reminder is to be careful when digging.

"If you have to dig a hole on the beach, do not dig any deeper than the smallest person's knee in your group," Calvo said.