Unified firefighters get hands-on training in swift-water rescues


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PROVO — Rescuers from the Unified Fire Authority are in the water training in the event of a swift-water rescue. The training comes as the snowmelt is starting to really pick up prior to the busy Memorial Day weekend.

Terry Price is among the firefighters seeing for themselves the water conditions in most of Utah's rivers and streams right now. The goal of Wednesday’s training was to help firefighters experience the conditions they could encounter in a real-life rescue.

“It would be freezing, you wouldn’t be able to breathe, you wouldn’t be able to swim,” Price said.

The water right now is very dangerous, rescuers said.

“If it were shallower and fast, it can make it difficult. If it were deep and slow even, the weight of the pressure against your chest can make it really hard to maneuver past that river,” said Unified fire EMT Alex Rogerson said.

Crews could barely stand in the cold, rushing Provo River.

“So that’s why we stacked up in that 'V' formation so that we can kind of act like geese and break each other’s current off to the side and make it easier for rescuers to cross,” Rogerson said.

The current isn’t the only thing dangerous. The temperature of that rushing water is too.

Unified firefighter Mike Quinones trains for swift water rescue on the Provo River in Provo Canyon on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Unified firefighter Mike Quinones trains for swift water rescue on the Provo River in Provo Canyon on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

“The water is snowmelt. It is cold. It is in the 40-degree range, and you are going to be ineffective if you fall in unexpectedly,” Unified Fire Capt. Jay Torgersen said. “You don’t have very long in the water before your muscles are going to be fatigued and you may not be able to get out.”

The message from these rescuers is simple: Don’t underestimate the power of the water and keep a very close eye on young children.

“The creeks are rising, (and) some of them are peaking right now," Torgersen said. "(We) just want to remind everyone to have a great weekend, but please, if you are around moving water, observe it, recreate safely (and) don't mix alcohol with moving water. Be safe and be vigilant about watching your children and your pets, and if you have any issues, call 911 as soon as possible."

If someone is swept away, do not go into a river to rescue them, he said.

“If you are not properly trained and you’re not properly equipped, it could complicate our rescue procedures, and so instead of one person that we are trying to help, now we have multiple people,” Torgersen said.

If someone were to fall in, they shouldn’t try to stand up in the swift water, he said.

“You would want to have your feet pointed downstream with your knees slightly bent so that you could use them to maneuver yourself away from danger,” Torgersen said.

Contributing: Peter Samore

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