Water Rescue Team Prepares For What Could Be Busy Season

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Every year Summit County gets dozens of water rescue emergency calls. This year the water levels are higher than normal, so the Summit County Water Rescue Team got to training on the Blue River on Sunday in anticipation of what could be a very busy rescue season.

"The shelf-life on these skills is about 6 months. If you don't get out and use them, you lose them," Scott Young with the rescue team said.

The team is made up of all volunteers who donate 20 hours a week.

"We're all EMTs, paramedics, we do this to give back to our community," Young said.

They were hard at work Sunday, practicing their maneuvers. Upstream a spotter eyed any debris that could hamper a rescue, then it was time for the swimmers to jump in. Downstream "throwbaggers" waited to toss in a line. The weight of the person in distress and force of the water have to be taken into consideration. Sometimes it's too strong and the rescuer gets pulled in.

In most water rescues the last-ditch effort is called the "live bait technique." The rescuer is attached to a line and tries to get to the distressed individual. It's very important for the rescuer's teammates on the shore to be grounded enough to pull both people out of the water.

In emergencies, the rescuer is top priority, teammates are second, and the person needing help is last.

"Poor planning on their part doesn't necessarily constitute an emergency on my part," Young said.

The best advice to water lovers is prepare for rough waters this season and always wear a life jacket.

"No thermal protection, no (personal floatation devices); they decide that they're going to go down to Walmart , buy a $9.99 raft and jump in the Blue River; and that can cause serious issues," Young said.

To learn more about joining or donating to the rescue team, visit Summit County Water Rescue Team website.