Weatherwise, it doesn't sound like much of a weekend to be out on the water. But if you do go out on the water, say in a river, there's a group of people we hope you never have to meet: they're the swiftwater rescue team. Chelan County Sheriff's Deputy Mike McCloud is one of the members:
McCourt says he's rescued people on every river in the county. What gets people into trouble the most when on the river?
How much does current come into play when on the river? McCloud says it can vary:
McCloud says they have different training methods to prepare for different type of rescues:
By the way, a “throwbag” is a sack, about the size of a football, filled with at least fifty feet of rope, available at most any sporting goods store; McCloud calls the throwbag “step one” in rescuing someone. The best tool though, of course, is a life jacket.