Storms create ideal training conditions for Merced firefighters

After days of hard-hitting El Niño storms, the Merced Fire Department took advantage of the high water level Thursday in Bear Creek for water rescue training.

A group of about 10 firefighters spent the afternoon swimming in Bear Creek and practiced rescuing one another from the water using ropes and a rubber boat. Instructor Sean Tierney gave instructions on whistle commands to direct the firefighters in their maneuvers.

Merced fire Capt. Jim Evans said the rain provided ideal training conditions on Bear Creak. The current was swift, with about 2,000 cubic-feet of water per second flowing as firefighters trained.

The training techniques will be used if objects, such as a car, or people become trapped in shrubs in a waterway. Evans noted that the training is not for body recovery.

The training and incident type is considered “high risk, low frequency,” Evans said. Though water rescues don’t occur often, firefighters put a lot on the line when conducting them.

“There’s only so much we can do,” Evans said. “Like we can’t take off our vests or our helmets.”

The training comes in handy for situations such as one that occurred just last week, said Billy Alcorn, a Merced fire battalion chief. County firefighters responded to a call on Bear Creek of a woman who had fallen in. There wasn’t as much water as there is now, Alcorn said, but firefighters would use the same maneuvers.

Evans said the training helps firefighters understand the victim’s point of view. “We wear suits that help keep us somewhat warm,” he said. “They don’t, and sometimes they could be out there for hours. We understand if they’re freaked out.”

Water rescue situations don’t always happen in the best conditions, either, Evans said. There’s always multiple variables that affect the situation.

Evans said it’s also important that the public knows people should not try to help victims stranded in waterways.

“It makes our job harder,” he said. “We might go from one to five victims. People need to be safe near waterways. This creek can rise pretty quickly.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Storms create ideal training conditions for Merced firefighters."