CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Fire Department said they’ve been involved in more water rescues this year than in years past.
On Sunday, Cleveland Fire had to rescue three teenagers stranded on the water break at Euclid Beach. Instances like that have now prompted the department to train all staff in water rescue tactics.
The Cleveland Fire Department doesn't just save people from burning buildings; their rescue efforts go beyond that, increasingly into water. Battalion Chief Brendan McNamara has spearheaded expanded training efforts for regular fire companies to learn how to perform water rescues. So far this year, there have been 11 deadly drownings in Lake Erie, but water rescues don't just include drownings. They can also include vehicles caught in high flood waters.
“We've had a real rainy summer and we've had about 20 rescues from vehicles that are stuck in flood water and underpasses,” said McNamara.
In July, firefighter Zach Lapuh saved a mother and child stuck in flood waters on Ivanhoe Rd. in Collinwood. Six other adults were also rescued.
“Her car was completely under, so she was able, right before it got submerged, to roll her window down,” said Lapuh. "Then her car was filling with water, so we were able to get to her in time and just pull her out real quick and again get her onto one of those boats and bring her back.”
McNamara said the high number of water rescues this summer revealed a gap in the department's response efforts. He knew training needed to expand beyond just the two water tactical units.
“It's very difficult to dive in two, three, four-foot water, so for our scuba divers, this can save them a lot of time and for the victims, it can be a difference between life and death,” added McNamara.
By mid-September, about 200 crew members from Cleveland's lakeshore companies will know how to respond to water rescues, whether it's a rescue at a beach, pool, or submerged vehicle.
“Luckily, all of our rescues have been done successfully,” said McNamara. “We are just making sure we are doing more training to keep it that way.”
The goal is to have the rest of the department's 550 firefighters trained by the end of next summer.
“The more people that are trained on it, the more people that can help out,” said Lapuh. “It makes these go a lot quicker and a lot better results if a lot more guys know what they're doing.”
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