Increasing challenges below the surface

In the event of a water rescue, seconds can make the difference between life and death.

As water-related emergency calls have increased throughout Snohomish County, so has the need for first responders equipped to handle different types of water rescue scenarios. In 2013, Snohomish County Fire District 7 in Clearview decided to take a proactive approach, establishing an elite team of rescue swimmers specifically trained to handle those calls. The rescue swimmer team is multi-jurisdictional, specializing in water incidents that occur in still and slow-moving water, including capsized boats, children and adults missing from swimming areas and submerged vehicles.

One of the team's advantages is streamlined mobilization. Rescue swimming requires minimal equipment, so members of the team are able to arrive on scene and get into the water very quickly.

The team's ultimate goal is to save seconds.-á

"Time is really of the essence ' it's critical in any kind of water rescue scenario,GÇ¥ said team lead Brendan Grace. "We need guys in the water as soon as possible.GÇ¥-á -á

The team is made up of roughly 12 firefighters from Clearview's District 7 and eight from Monroe's District 3; two departments that are in the process of merging, pending an approval by District 3 voters in August. Rescue swimmers must complete a rigorous four-day course to become certified and continually practice in order to maintain and enhance their skills.

The course includes holding their breath for a minimum of 60 seconds, a 40-foot free dive, long-distance swimming and different scenario-based rescue situations.-á

The rescue swimmer team fills a critical need, Grace said, as most public swimming areas no longer have on-duty lifeguards. Silver Lake was reportedly the last lifeguarded beach in Snohomish County, but its lifeguards were eliminated last year as a cost-saving measure by the city of Everett. The rescue swimmer team is regional, and able to deploy anywhere in its own districts and in neighboring districts by request. The team is currently perfecting a self-deployment system where even when off-duty, a rescue swimmer would be notified when a water rescue call comes in and could potentially respond from anywhere.

The self-deployment system is still a work in process. Once fully implemented, an off-duty rescue swimmer responder would get a notification on their cellphone, and could arrive on scene and coordinate with the command structure set up to navigate that incident, Grace said.

To help them prepare, the team holds scenario training drills in new locations at least once a year. It's important to gain experience throughout the entire county, Grace said, as each lake offers a new dynamic. On Monday, June 6, the team held scenario training at Martha Lake in Mill Creek, with participating firefighters from Clearview, Monroe, Gold Bar and Everett.

In addition to Martha Lake, they've also held scenario trainings at Lake Stevens and Monroe's Lake Tye. They also train throughout the year in pools and local lakes to further refine their skills. The rescue swimming training regimen is considered by some to be the most challenging that a firefighter can do.-á -á

"I think the consensus with everybody is that it's the most demanding training you can do,GÇ¥ Grace said.-á -á

Last week's training incorporated several different scenario-based rescue exercises, including dynamic rescue of a panicked, combative victim, and rescue of a person who had gone into the water to save a "baby,GÇ¥ which was a plastic doll. In one part of the lake, they practiced rescuing an adult-size dummy from a submerged truck cab, resting in about 25 feet of water. The rescue dummy is weighted with sand, and mimics the buoyancy of a human body in the water.-á

"So they're diving down, pulling the "victim' out of the submerged car, bringing them up to the surface and simulating bringing them back to the beach for medical treatment,GÇ¥ Grace said.-á -á

Other swimmers practiced free-diving, while other members of the team conducted grid and spot search drills near the shore. Monroe's rescue boat ferried firefighters from one training area to the next, so they were able to spend time honing each technique.-á

Free-diving relies on the swimmers' ability to hold their breath, and doesn't use any sort of a breathing apparatus. It's challenging, because the deeper a swimmer goes, the murkier and colder the water. During training, swimmers work on stress reduction techniques in order to keep their heart rates as low as possible.

"They're practicing keeping their heart rate down, because the higher your heart rate, the faster you go through your oxygen,GÇ¥ Grace said. "It's a skill that's got to be practiced, so they can increase their capabilities.GÇ¥

Rescue swimmers use goggles and a snorkel for searches near the water's surface, and then when it comes time to go deeper, they push their snorkels to the side, take a deep breath and dive.-á -á

"Everybody on our team can free dive down to a minimum of 40 feet, and some of our guys can dive down to 95 to 100 feet,GÇ¥ Grace said.-á

During the scenarios, they use information gathered during previous rescue efforts to add realism. Last week's drills incorporated references to a rescue performed at Martha Lake in 2015, where a fisherman fell out of his boat and was unable to climb back in. Martha Lake is located in Snohomish County Fire District 1, which responded to the call and established command. A bystander and a District 7 rescue swimmer were both integral in getting him to shore.-á -á

In addition to subsurface rescue in still and slow-moving water, the rescue swimmer team is trained in swift water rescue. Swift water rescue capabilities require a different training regimen, and are crucial in the Sky Valley area because of its proximity to the Snohomish and Skykomish rivers. They are also trained to respond to ice emergencies, which can happen in the winter when a person overestimates the thickness of the ice on the surface of a lake, walks on it and falls through.

"It's not a call we get frequently, but we're ready for it if we do get it,GÇ¥ Grace said.