On Dec. 26, 2023, members of the Catoosa County Fire Department conducted a nighttime water rescue of two people who were partially submerged in a creek when their ATV ran off-course. They were unable to escape the water and one could not swim.
Chief Daniel Walston explained during an award segment of the March 19 Catoosa Board of Commissioners meeting, “A water-related situation at night is bad enough, but in the winter you’ve got a lot of odds stacked against you. Hypothermia can set in, shock, all that stuff, especially if you never planned on being in the water. These guys (the victims) never intended on being in the water. They ended up in the water with the ATV turned over and were able to call for help."