Rogers FD Swift Water Rescue Team Prep for Storms

The Rogers Fire Department Special Operations Team, checking equipment and reviewing procedures in anticipation of severe weather and flooding.

“Just refreshing with our protocols of what we`re going to do for certain situations where there would be swift water or just getting someone out of a bad incident,” said Captain Clint Bowen, Rogers Fire Department.

The team is composed of five members and are trained in swift water rescues.

“Aim this boat to where the victim comes under here, this is why its raised up and this won`t him in the head or anything, it goes right over them and basically you`re in the boat and you`re able to get a hold of them and pull them back up on you into the boat and then everybody pulls them onto the boat,” explained Bowen.

Equipment like a rope gun, which can shoot up to 300 feet is vital during a rescue.

“It deploys a rope across the river, so if we can’t swim across it we can deploy a rope or a life ring with it that shoots off air compressed air,” said Technical Rescue Coordinator, Jeff Parks.

One of the biggest missions the team made was in 2011, rescuing dozens of families stranded in their homes in Johnson.

It can only take a few inches of rain for areas to flood, causing a dangerous situation, according to Bowen.

“It can be a matter of 30 minutes to an hour before you go from a completely rainy normal day to a specific time you should be taking action,” said Bowen,” said Bowen.

Just a foot of water will strand a car.

“When you`re vehicle is traveling only a minuet part of your tires, you got four tires that`s touching the road that the water just has to get under one of them and you`re down to a third of the stability that you had to begin with on a normal dry day,” said Bowen.

If your car does get stranded in low water Parks said you should stay in your car until emergency officials respond.


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