Fremont Fire Department sent a heavy rescue assignment to Niles Canyon on a
report of a rafter stuck in a tree. Untrained and unequipped for river and flood rescue,
firefighters initially called an East Bay Regional Parks helicopter for help. Unable to
make a one-skid landing on the debris pile where the victim was stranded, rescuers finally
had to send the helicopter away due to the noise level, and their own inability to hear their
radios.
Firefighters found a wetsuit and two horse collar lifejackets left by the stranded
victim’s friends. Tying one firefighter to a rope, they finally managed to throw the victim
a line and swing the victim to shore.
Unlike other areas with similar problems, fire personnel later said, (when
interviewed for a fire video training series), that while they might buy some river rescue
equipment, they doubted they would do any specific river training, due to the infrequency
of such calls.
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