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@C_C_F_R
On 06/27/2022 Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue received a mutual aid request for Fire Boat 24 from Columbia River Fire and Rescue at 10:20 PM. Engine 23, Battalion Chief 21, and Fire Boat 24 were dispatched to River Mile 87 on the Columbia River, to assist with a "Marine event with a person in the water".
Dispatch notes relayed two uninjured subjects, wearing life jackets, who had popped their inner tubes and were in the water.
Engine 23 and Battalion Chief 21 convened at Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue’s Ridgefield Marina boathouse and three personnel (2 boat operators, and 1 rescue swimmer) departed toward the dispatched location in Fire Boat 24.
Fire Boat 24 arrived at 10:41 PM to find two adults (one male, one female) in the water. Both adults were wearing life jackets, were uninjured, and were clinging to a wood piling in the middle of the river - just inside the Multnomah Channel. Multiple land-based Columbia County response units had made visual contact with the individuals and were providing scene lighting for Fire Boat 24.
Fire Boat 24 accessed the subjects via the bow and assisted them aboard, without incident. A second pass was made to recover several personal belongings and the popped inner tubes. Once both subjects were secured onboard, Columbia County Command advised there was an awaiting paramedic response unit at the St. Helens marina. Fire Boat 24 transported the individuals to the awaiting Columbia River Fire and Rescue unit, then returned in service at 11:22 PM.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue would like to emphasize the fact that this incident, while emergent, could have had a dire outcome had both adults not elected to wear the proper personal floatation device / life jackets. Please ensure you and anybody you are responsible for are wearing the proper personal flotation device(s) while enjoying water activities.
## Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) serves 45,000 people over 125 square miles, including the cities of La Center, Ridgefield, Woodland, and the Cowlitz Indian Reservation. Our combination department includes full-time and volunteer firefighters responding to an average of 5000 fire and emergency medical calls a year. CCFR operates under a balanced budget and has a history of passing independent financial audits by the state. ##