Water rescueWater rescues prove dangerous for first responders

Water rescues present particular hazards to first responders // Source: wordpress.com

Water rescues are particularly dangerous for first responders, and the recent attempt to rescue a man who jumped from a bridge over the Oswego River in New York last month proved to be no exception.

Oswego Fire Chief Jeff McCrobie said conditions made the operation particularly dangerous. “The current and the undertow in the Oswego River is extreme at times and it was difficult,” he said. Proper training is essential for first responders to ensure their own safety as any rescue operation involving cold or swift water can be potentially fatal.

In March 2010 a volunteer firefighter in West Virginia drowned after his boat capsized while attempting to rescue civilians trapped by fast-rising flood waters.

“You worry about protecting your own first. You don’t ever want to put somebody in a position where their life can be lost searching for perhaps an unknown or in a situation where it’s too late,” said McCrobie.

A tragic incident which occurred on Memorial Day in California shows just how essential proper training is.

When police received a call that a suicidal man had walked into the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay off the coast of Alameda, local police and firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. In what came to be known as the “Alameda incident,” the first responders refused to enter the water to extract the man or even retrieve his body, citing a lack of training in cold water rescues.

Cold water training is a routine part of first responder training in areas more accustomed to frigid weather.

In November 2010 the Canadian government sponsored a training program called “Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp” to instruct rescuers on the proper techniques for dealing with cold water missions. The seminar took place on Lake Ontario and provided training on cold water extraction, transport, diagnosis, and treatment.

Lifesaving Resources LLC, a Kennebunkport, Maine-based aquatic safety and water rescue training and consulting firm, also offers a one-day “Ice Rescue Technician Course” which focuses on proper cold-water rescue techniques with an emphasis on “personal survival and safety of the rescuer.”

In the recent Oswego incident, when the rescue turned into a recovery operation, divers were called in, a task which comes with its own dangers.

“In rescue diving, you’ve got hazards anywhere from limited visibility, we have muddy water, turbulent water, currents, currents to worry about, the added emotional stress of knowing you’re diving for somebody’s loved one,” said Oswego Fire Department’s First Assistant Chief, Donald Dowd.

After a protracted search, officials scaled back their efforts and his body has yet to be found.