Rapid Entry Rescue Swimming Provides Valuable Skills
by Loni Rahm
It was the flash of neon flippers that initially caught my eye. Looking out over the lake, I saw two boats anchored just off the Chelan Ranger Station. One was the Fire Boat. It was either a training exercise or a rescue effort.
I snapped a couple of pictures on my way into town and stopped by the Fire Station where I was told this was day two of back to back CF&R training. Later that day, our family ran into the class as they were completing additional drills at the Chelan River boat launch.
Lt. Shawn Sherman told me the current class of 9 has completed two, 4-hour days of “Rapid Entry Rescue Swimming”. They will complete an additional 8 hours of training on July 13 and 14.
Classes are part of the quarterly and annual training conducted by Chelan Fire and Rescue. Sherman acknowledges that water rescue training is a necessity, saying “we’ve been deployed multiple times since the program began in 2010.”
He also reiterated the importance of adhering to water safety rules and wearing a personal floatation device.
