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SALT LAKE CITY — With record runoff predicted for the next several weeks along portions of the Wasatch Front, officials say flooding isn't their only concern.
Like each year, Salt Lake City fire officials say they're concerned about residents, particularly children, being trapped or swept away in the region's fast moving rivers, canals and streams.
"The majority of fatalities are children when it comes to drowning," said Salt Lake Fire Capt. Michael Harp.
Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under 4, he said.
To both promote the message of safety and prepare for possible problems, the fire department's Swift Water Rescue Team held its annual training on the Jordan River Thursday. They were joined by members of the South Davis Metro Fire Agency, some of whom were getting their first taste of swift water training.
The firefighters, dressed in wet suits and life vests, took turns floating down the swift moving river as firefighters on the shore practiced pulling them out of the water. For conscious "victims," they threw ropes out to them and pulled them to shore.
For victims that could potentially be unconscious or unable to grab onto a rope, the group practiced jumping in the water and swimming after them. A rope was tied to the back of the firefighter's life preserver and held by another firefighter on shore as he jumped in the water.
"Swim to him. Grab him," instructed Salt Lake Fire Capt. Kyle Lavender as he supervised the operation. "Lock him up. Put him in a figure eight."
"It's more dangerous now than ever," Lavender said of the water conditions while predicting they will only get worse.
Salt Lake City firefighters typically respond to only five water rescues per year, most of them in the Jordan River or Jordan canal, Lavender said. But the river can be dangerous.
In 2009, 8-year-old Trejon Fite drowned after falling off a pipe into the Jordan River surplus canal in Glendale. The incident sparked a long search along the river, but Trejon's body wasn't found until 49 days later when it was spotted seven miles north of the Great Salt Lake Marina.
There were at least a dozen drownings in Utah in 2009, including incidents in Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Tony Grove Lake near Logan, Palisade Reservoir in Sanpete County, the Provo River and Utah Lake.
At least eight people drowned between June 14 and July 20 in Utah in 2010 in areas such as the Jordan River, Strawberry Reservoir, Bear Lake and the Green River.
Earlier this month, a 4-year-old boy drowned while on a fishing trip on shore with his family at Utah Lake.
Lavender said the best advice he can give to children and parents is to simply keep kids away from the water. If children are going to play near the water, they should have the appropriate gear, he said.
Harp also stressed that parents need to keep an eye on their children when they're around water.
If someone falls in the water, those on shore should not jump in after them, Lavender said. Rather, find a tree branch or something that can be stretched out to the person in the water and call 911.
Not only is there the danger of being caught in a swift current, but there are obstacles in the water that could cause injury, Harp said. And the water itself is cold with melting snow, making swimming hard even for those with experience, he said.
South Davis Metro Fire Capt. Topher Maxwell was appreciative of the training experience.
"This is why I'm in fire rescue," he said.
Davis County has several creeks and canals that rescue teams may be called to respond to if children and adults aren't safe, Maxwell said.
Salt Lake City has four full-time water rescue members and 12 that are trained to assist when needed.
Email:preavy@ksl.com
