Kaden Hartman a Logan City paramedic firefighter navigates the Logan River as part of a river rescue exercise on Thursday June 1,
LOGAN – Firefighters from four different fire stations were practicing swift water technical rescue on the Logan River on Thursday, June 1. They we using the river north of Wasatch Properties at 595 S. 80 E. in Logan.
Some of the firemen went into the water to let others use a throw rope to bring them to shore safely. During another exercise, they used a tension diagonal or a rope on both sides of the shore set at different points to form a diagonal. When those trying to get out of the water caught the rope it brought them to the shore.
Logan City Firefighter Engineer AEMT Brandon Wallis had special training to teach the water rescue skills to his fellow team members.
The group spent nearly six hours practicing their rescue techniques. They do it every year but this year the Logan River was higher than most other years, giving the team members a better challenge.
The particular rescue skills come in handy when motorists crash into the Logan River while driving through Logan Canyon.
All of the firemen that went into the river were dressed in cold water gear with helmets and life preservers. All safety measures were used during the exercise.
The department coordinated with businesses in the area to use the parking lots and other private areas for their exercise. They had plenty of safety measures in place and coordinated with local businesses for permission.
The men in the water focus on swimming in swift water and using throw bags for rescue tools. After developing their foundational proficiencies, they focused on advanced techniques such as tension diagonals, live bait rescues and heads-up and heads-down entrapment rescues.
Different scenarios were used to give the firefighters real world applications. Not only did they learn rescue techniques, but they also learned to read the river and recognize obstacles in the water that could be dangerous to people in swift water. The underlying themes throughout the training were accident prevention and rescuer safety.
The four Fire Departments in Logan serve a population of nearly 50,000 people in an area of 18 square miles. Each fire department serves approximately 12,500 people.