Only On 3: Swiftwater Training On The Colorado River

It’s dawn on the banks of the Colorado River near Blythe,CA. More than a dozen firefighters from the desert and around the Southland are about to get a rude wake up call.

Not by the still waters on the shore, but by the power rapids flowing out of the Blythe Dam.

It’s all part of the Riverside County Fire Department’s swift water training course. On this day, firefighters start with a swim across the river.

The swim gives firefighters a chance to practice a skill they’ve already learned, the ferry angle. According to instructors, it’s the most basic and most important skill they’ll need during a swift water rescue.

“The ferry angle just involves getting your body 45 degrees to the current, not the river channel but the current, the actual current you’re in. So, the water pushes you across so you don’t have to spend a lot of time and energy trying to swim,” said Barry Menges, with Calfire.

Instructors helped the firefighters by swimming along side of them and by using boats to snatch up those who couldn’t finish the swim.

According to instructors, the river is the perfect place to train.

“Like in the Coachella Valley and other parts of Riverside, we still have a lot of washes that when it rains a lot we have the same conditions that you find here at the river. So, this is probably the most realistic place to train our personnel here were they can actually experience what it’s like to try and swim in swift water and turbulent water,” said Ignacio Otero, Deputy Chief with Calfire.

The training involves more than swimming. Firefighters are shown how to use paddle boards to rescue victims, then, they practice the techniques on each other.

Firefighters need to be prepared for anything during a swift water rescue, including if their rescue boat flips. They practice how to quickly get it right-side up and back inside.

Before Dave Morgan worked for the U.S. Forest Service, he spent nine years working for the London Fire Brigade in England. He got his swift water rescue certification there without ever getting wet. He’s learning a lot as he tries to re-certify.

“It looks fun when your there, when your standing up on dry land, looking down and seeing us all train. But actually, when you get in there, there’s a lot of stuff you have to take on board,” said Morgan.

Palm Desert Firefighter John Shirokawa agrees.

“That’s why you do everything individually out there. you feel everything you switch every position that way you learn every spot you learn it, you know it and hopefully you can retain it,” said Shirokawa.

Firefighters said they won’t have to wait long before they use their new skills.

It doesn’t rain a lot in the desert but, when it does, it causes serious problems. Flash floods and wash out roads mean some people will need their help.

“There’s always potential even during the summer, but winter especially. So, who knows when but you always have to be ready.”

And, the river is a good chance to get their feet wet before taking the plunge to save a live.