JANESVILLE — If the Janesville Fire Department has to fish somebody out of the Rock River, speed and manpower are crucial.
So when the report came in Monday night of a canoeist in the river, the department sent:
-- 24 firefighters from stations all over the city.
-- Four ambulances, five engines and a pickup truck.
-- Two rubber, inflatable boats and one flat-bottomed boat.
“Water rescue is labor-intensive,” said Cmdr. Tim Ehlers of the Janesville Fire Department. “We deploy the boats at different places in the river.”
Why all the engines and ambulances? Specially trained water rescue workers come from all points in the city and need to carry their gear.
On Monday, firefighters didn’t have to go into the river.
They were called out at about 9:30 p.m. for a report of a man in the river. A 48-year-old Evansville man thought it would be a good idea to put a canoe in the river and—this is the good part—paddle upstream, Ehlers said.
He quickly found himself in trouble but was able to struggle back to shore.
“You would think that common sense would kick in,” Ehlers said. “People really need to stay out of the river. There’s so much weight and force in that water.”
Rescue operations in current conditions would be “very difficult,” Ehlers said. Boats can no longer travel under bridges, and the volume and speed of the water make it difficult to navigate.
The river officially is closed to all boat traffic. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and police can ticket for such offenses.
No tickets were issued in Monday’s incident.