A Cold Water 'Rescue' With Canton's Volunteer Firefighters

Half floating in a cold pond, I feel a mild push behind me as the arms of a volunteer firefighter clamp around my chest. With two distinctive clinks, my body is tethered into a rope-based rescue relay.  

Soon he and I would be quickly pulled to safety, but first I have to suppress the urge to fight. Panic comes easy. It’s human nature even for a relatively healthy mock victim. That factor multiplies untold times for someone dealing with blood loss, hypothermia, partial consciousness, drunkenness or a myriad of other potential issues.

Throw in a river current, boulders or a slick river bottom and the challenges for a rescuer, usually a volunteer firefighter, mount.  

My turn as a victim and rescuer came at a recent Monday night drill by the Town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department. Weekly, the department practices its techniques, simulating various situations, such as car crashes, water rescues, fires and more. This past week it was Cold-Water Rescue.  

A real-life emergency never plays out exactly as rehearsed, but firefighters say it’s essential to train, know the equipment and review as many scenarios as possible.  

That’s especially true with a small volunteer department that doesn’t necessarily get numerous calls for every scenario, says Mike Yacovino, the department’s deputy chief of training.

“The only way we’re going to keep up with our skills and be good in a particular area is to train,” Yacovino says.    

Of course emergencies do happen. A few years back, as 13 Canton volunteer firefighters and EMTs were being certified as swift water rescue specialists, they participated in three real-life river rescues in the course of a weekend. One even involved the department’s technical rescue team, which had to lower life-saving equipment down a steep bank.  

Monday’s drill, constrained by time, was slightly less involved and took place at the pond at Memorial Field. Still it offered a good chance for volunteer firefighters to hone their skills donning and swimming in constrictive wet suits while tethered to a rope system. Participants practiced each step in the process, from being a victim, to rescuing one to pulling the ropes from the shoreline.  

Despite the urge volunteers may have to jump into the water, cold-water rescue training teaches the following rescue progression when presented with such an emergency.  

• REACH — Ideally a victim is close enough to rescue via hand tools or ladders.
  
• THROW — A stranded but conscious person can often grab polyethylene safety rope tossed from shore 
  
• ROW — The Department can deploy a boat, such as its Marine 1, to reach victims.   
  

If all the rescue techniques prove unsuccessful or unrealistic, then it’s GO and at least one volunteer enters the water to face the most challenging of water rescues.  

It’s dangerous but as these volunteer firefighters know, a realistic possibility.  

Anyone interested in making it a go and joining the Town of Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Department can visit www.cantonfireandems.org, or drop by the Collinsville, North Canton or Canton firehouses Monday evenings during the Department’s weekly practice drill at 7 p.m.