Firefighters had good reason to take advantage of this week’s mild weather to take a flat-bottomed motorboat to Canal Dover Park.
From there, they entered the Tuscarawas River to practice boat safety, operations and rescue techniques in the water, under the leadership of Capt. Michael Mossor and Lt. Brian Stewart.
They took rookie firefighter Anthony Miceli, hired last fall, to learn how to board one boat from another, among other things. The tools include a pole with a hook on one end, useful for grabbing another vessel. He learned the importance of establishing tension between two boats before moving between them. Wiggly boats tip.
“Unfortunately, when we respond with the boat, it’s not usually a nice day,” Stewart said. “Any boat (operations), any diving operations, swift-water rescue operations are the most dangerous calls that we run. The incidence of injury per call is very high ... for us.”
The outcome can be just as bad or worse for the people they try to help.