St. Louis County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad Practicing Swift Water Rescues

DULUTH, MINN.  –In some years, the all-volunteer St. Louis County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad is paged out to assist more than 400 times per year.

The squad can be called out for any number of events, ranging from automobile crashes, and missing persons to swift water rescue.  And it’s the possibility of swift water rescues that members were training for Friday evening.

“So today we’re at the UMD jet pool. We’re practicing swift water techniques. We are all wearing our PFDs and practicing aggressive swimming. Basically interacting with the water and with each other, as victims and rescuers to practice for when we get out on the rivers,” said Alex Messenger, a member of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad.

As is often said, practice makes perfect and that’s what this team is looking for each time it’s called upon to help others.

The swift water rescue work is especially timely with the rivers and streams running very high and fast with the spring runoff.