All county fire fighters receive basic training in swift water rescues, and some receive advanced training. The county’s fire department strictly regulates how swift water rescues are done, and who can perform them, and requires a minimum of five specially trained rescue personnel for swift water rescues: a supervisor who directs the rescue, a safety officer who makes sure the rescuers follow safety regulations, one upstream spotter who looks for water surges and large debris floating toward the scene, and two downstream spotters in case the victim floats away. In part two of her two-part report on flash flooding, managing editor Tami Roleff says rescuers have to be careful that they don’t become victims themselves…
Even five rescuers aren’t always enough to rescue someone trapped in a flash flood. “So at a minimum, really, you need seven. You need the five minimum people, and you need two people to make entry into the water to make the rescue.” County Fire Engineer Jeff Allen said even then, putting a rescuer in the water is always the last option considered. “Reach, throw, row, go.” Fire fighters first try to reach the victims by pulling them out, either by hand or with a pole; the next option is to throw them a rope; then going in the water in a boat; and finally, by wading in the water themselves. Swift water rescues are dangerous, and the fire department’s regulations are designed to keep the rescuers from becoming victims themselves. “We always take risk; our job is to take risk, but we don’t take unnecessary risk.” On Tuesday, Karl Wyne, 66, died when his Chevy Blazer was swept away and overturned during a flash flood on Sunny Vista in Joshua Tree. But by following swift water regulations, the responding fire fighters most likely saved their own lives. While the fire fighters were at the scene, another, 5-foot surge of water came rushing down the wash and flowed over the upside-down Blazer, sending the on-lookers scrambling to get out of the wash. The safest option? “Turn around and don’t drive through the water.” Turn around, don’t drown.
