We had a great water rescue drill this thursday. We did an in-service and pratical with a couple of new water/ice rescue devices that we now carry on our rescue vehicle.

The first item is a rescue frisbee. It is a simple idea that seems to work really well. The frisbee has 100 feet of small diameter rope attached to it. Basically you drop about 20 feet of rope on the ground, secure the rope end and throw the frisbee. The rope uncoils as the frisbee flies through the air. After a few throws it is easy to get the frisbee out the full 100 feet. It goes farther than a throw bag, is easy to deploy and the frisbee itself is an easy object for a person in trouble to grab and hold. In addition it even has 5 pounds of flotation to help a person in distress while they are being pulled to shore. It is a great addition to our existing water rescue tools.

The second addition is a kit that allows 2-1/2" fire hose to be inflated with a SCBA bottle, then the rigid hose can be played out across water or ice to a person in distress. We experimented with several sections of hose and found that 150 feet can be managed fairly well from the shore. The kit allows rope to be attached to either end so the inflated section of hose could be played out and pulled across to cover a large area. The length of inflated hose is virtually unlimited as long as you can manage both ends with rope. Another great tool for us.

If you missed drill be sure and try to make it up as this is important training on new equipment.

Inflated Hose, Picture 1

Inflated Hose, Picture 2

Inflated Hose, Picure 3