Nine members of the Bath Volunteer Fire Department and three
members of the North Corning Fire Department all spent Friday evening, Saturday
and Sunday in training taking “Emergency Boat Operations and Rescue” from two
instructors from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boating Commission. The training is
additional training for members of the Swift Water Rescue Team to advance their
skills in boat operations during a flood and fast moving water.
The instruction started out with classroom instruction from
the basics of boat terminology and navigation, to how to read river currents,
look for hidden obstructions, and the right way to approach someone trapped in
fast moving water for rescue.
The class then moved outdoors to nearby Keuka Lake to go over
basic boat handling, how to roll over a capsized boat and getting a conscious
and also disable persons into a rescue boat from the water.
This all lead up to training in the river in moving water.
Each member had to display their skills they had learned over the weekend in
how to hold their craft steady in a current, look for obstructions, run
downstream and rapidly turn into and eddy and approach a victim safely.
Skillsets in paddling were also put to the test both with and against the
current. There was also a written exam which has to be passed as well. When the
exams are checked and the certifications come back, each member will have a
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification.
Respectfully
Submitted,
John Conrad Sr.
Public Information
Officer
The Bath Volunteer
Fire Dept.
