First responders take water rescue training

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. – Rural Metro Fire held a water rescue training event Friday on the Rogue River.

The first responder training comes exactly one week after a woman is thought to have drowned at Indian Mary County Park.

The training on the Rogue River involved learning techniques to rescue people in fast-moving water.

Organizers said this training has been planned for a while now but became more relevant after last week’s tragedy.

“If by chance people head to the river, right now it happens to be flowing quite quickly and the temperature is pretty cold,” Austin Prince said. “So, a lot of times it can catch people off guard.”

Prince said that on top of learning how to save civilians, first responders also learned self-rescue techniques.

He said that the goal is not to make people afraid of the water but to raise awareness of the potential hazards and make sure people are proceeding with caution this summer.

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Ethan McReynolds is a reporter and weekend anchor for NBC5 News. He grew up in Bothell, Washington and graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Broadcasting and minors in Journalism and Sport Management. At Gonzaga, he started his own sports podcast. Ethan loves rooting for his hometown Seattle sports teams, especially the Mariners. He loves playing baseball, basketball, and soccer. He is also an avid Taylor Swift fan.
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