As snowmelt fills riverbeds, Cedar City firefighters practice water rescue skills, offer safety tips

Written by Jeff Richards
May 3, 2023

CEDAR CITY — As water from melting snow continues to fill streambeds statewide, emergency responders are preparing themselves for possible rescue scenarios.

Cedar City Fire Department personnel conduct a water rescue training session along the banks of Coal Creek, Cedar City, Utah, April 20, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Cedar City Fire Department personnel recently conducted a training exercise at the city’s Veterans Park.

The firefighters each took turns throwing a small stuff bag attached to a rope, aiming for an inner tube as it floated down the muddy waters of Coal Creek.

“The idea is that we can show it to the victim going down the river and have them grab it when we throw it to them,” Cedar City Fire Capt. Travis Fails said from the bridge overhead as he and Fire Chief Mike Phillips observed the practice session.

Fails said the three key words to remember, in order, are “reach,” “throw” and “go.”

“If we can reach them from the shore, we’ll obviously do that first,” he said. “And then if we can, we can throw (something) to them. And if we can’t do that and we still have to go in after them, then we’ll tie a rope off to our rescuer and they’ll go in the water.”

Fails said swift water rescues are not as common in Iron County as they are in other areas of the state.

“Although it’s an unlikely scenario for us, it does happen this time of year,” he added.

Fails then offered a few general safety tips. 

First, parents should keep small children away from the water, or at least keep them under close supervision if they are playing near the water.

Cedar City Fire Department personnel conduct a water rescue training session along the banks of Coal Creek, Cedar City, Utah, April 20, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Next, he said, you should know what to do if you see someone in potential danger in the water.

“If you see somebody that’s in the water and obviously not able to get out on their own, you know, they’re struggling and floundering, the first thing to do is call 911,” Fails said. “Get that system started so we can get help coming in.”

Fails noted that it’s also very helpful to dispatchers if the caller is able to pinpoint and describe the location.

“Have a good idea of where you are,” he said.

The next step is to try reaching, Fails said. “If you can reach them from the side with a stick or something like that without going into the water yourself, do that.”

And should you be the one to find yourself in swift water, Fails said a good thing to keep in mind is to avoid going down headfirst.  

“In high water with a lot of movement, you may not have a lot of choice, but try to keep your feet pointed downstream if you can, so that’s what hits the rocks and trees,” he said.

Washington County has already seen a few water rescues recently, including two on April 16 and another one in Zion National Park on April 28. In the latter incident, water rescue teams from the National Park service and Washington County Sheriff’s Office were already inside the park conducting a swift water rescue training exercise when they were summoned to an actual rescue in another part of the park. In that incident, a 25-year-old Canadian woman was reportedly pulled to safety.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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