Swift-water rescue teams train in Provo River

PROVO, Utah – It’s a spectacular time of year to get out and enjoy Utah’s rivers and streams as the spring run-off peaks, and the swift water teams that respond when somebody falls in the water are urging all of us to be very cautious.

We caught up with the Unified Fire Authority for some training Thursday morning on the Provo River.

“Even though it may look like a slow, playful river, it’s really quite dangerous,” said Firefighter Brian Pickett, one of the swift water rescue instructors. “It actually almost lulls you in, because it seems like there’s less water. It seems like it’s slow and it would be safe. But, it really is powerful, and it really is dangerous.”

That’s the main message this year, even though there’s less water than last year. Last spring, six people died in Utah creeks and rivers as snowmelt run-off raged down the canyons, the highest number in more than a decade.

Rescuers trained Thursday on a variety of techniques so they’ll be ready when seconds count.

“Even the strongest swimmers cannot overcome it,” Pickett said of the springtime current. “You get in the water and then you just can’t function.”

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“With the water running the way it is, it doesn’t take much at all for an animal or child to get close and they fall in.”

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Pickett said the current is deadly, and the water is snowmelt, meaning it’s also cold.

“It’s extremely cold water, so it doesn’t take long at all to become disabled in the water,” said Captain Jay Torgersen who heads up the UFA swift water rescue program.

“You could be a very strong swimmer, and still be overcome by the current, the temperature, the obstructions in the water,” he said.

During training, they want the firefighters to get a real feel for the hazards that they might encounter during a rescue.

“We want our people to be exposed to this so that they know how to keep themselves safe, so they could affect a rescue if they need to,” said Torgersen. “What can I do the fastest and least risky to help that person.”

I got in a dry suit and became one of their potential drowning victims, stranded in the water. I quickly discovered the current doesn’t need to be deep to be dangerous. The current swept me and my rescuer right off our feet.

“With the water running the way it is, it doesn’t take much at all for an animal or child to get close and they fall in,” said Torgersen.

He said they respond to more swift water emergencies each year. Many of Utah’s waterways attract more people each year, and too many people use bad judgment around the water.

One good way to kids safe on the shore is to make sure that there is a designated watcher with no distractions.

“Their focus is on the water,” said Torgersen. “That’s all they’re focused on. They’re watching what’s going on around them.”

He said if one of his kids went in the water, he would probably jump right in, and he knows many others should do the same, but would-be rescuers urge against that.

“Knowing how these conditions are, going in after somebody is often unsurvivable,” said Torgersen.

Make sure you’re not a second victim, he said. That happened last year on the Provo River Memorial Day weekend, when a man went in after a mother and child and did not come out alive.

“The thing we try to do is stay out of the water, and make the rescue anyway we can without having to get in,” said Pickett. “If you can find sticks, if you can get down stream and rescue them without jumping in, you may help save yourself, and maybe save a life.”