Water rescue rehearsed

— GARFIELD - With a pair of drownings already on the books for this year at Beaver Lake, members of the Northeast Benton County Volunteer Fire/EMS Department held a water rescue training exercise at Lost Bridge Village South Park on Thursday, June 7. Captain Nick Mason, EMS Training Officer, and Battalion Chief Tom Scantlin, Fire Training, led the exercise that included 20 NEBCO firefighters and emergency medical technicians plus the department’s two boats.

“We never know what situation we will find on the water when we get a call to respond to the lake,” Mason pointed out prior to the sessions. “It may have a boat verses boat collision or justsomeone who gets injured while out on the water and needs our help.”

In addition to the pair of water-related deaths this year, the NEBCO fire boats have called out several times so far this season to assist boaters in distress.

During the training exercise three scenarios were presented with a victim in the water and needing medical help. Rescuers had to assess the patient’s needs while in the water to determine the quickest yet safest way to extricate the patient from the lake to a waiting rescue boat. The exercise lasted until just before dark, with the water temperature hovering at 77 degrees.

NEBCO Fire Department maintains a pair of fire boats from a dock near South Park and is available for calls around the clock to assist boats in distress. Capt. Jon Testus leads the boat crewteam. The area served is from near Rock Branch to the Beaver Lake Dam, and includes all the area that falls into Carroll County since none of those departments have fire boats in the water.

News, Pages 1 on 06/13/2012