By Nancy J. Rigg

A 25-year old, off-duty police officer in Ireland – Ciaran Jones – lost his life in an act of selfless heroism, when powerful storms lashed the East Coast of Ireland on October 24, 2011, causing widespread flooding.

According to news reports, Jones was in a vehicle with his brother, Alan, and a close friend, approaching Ballysmuttan Bridge, which spans the River Liffey.  Jones noted that the river was flood-swollen, threatening the safety of the bridge itself, as well as any motorists who might unknowingly try to drive across it.  Jones stepped out of his car and headed towards the bridge to warn other motorists to turn back.  Sadly, he somehow got caught in the rising torrent and was swept downstream.

Ciaran Jones lost his life in raging floodwaters, protecting others.

Jones’ remains were recovered on October 25th, 4km downstream from where he was swept away.  Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue Team coordinated the search effort.  According to a news report in Irish Central : “The Irish Coast Guard, the Garda (police) helicopter and mountain and river rescue teams joined Jones’ colleagues in the search before his body was discovered at Ballyward Bridge, near Manor Kilbride.”

Officer (Garda) Jones was a four-year veteran of the gardaí, based at Stepaside in County Dublin.

A funeral mass was held for Jones in Manor Kilbride, Co Wicklow, on Friday, October 28, 2011.   Jones is survived by his parents, Brenda and John, a younger brother and sister – Alan and Michelle – and his girlfriend, Clare Kennedy, who spoke at the mass about meeting Jones when they were in their teens and falling in love.

In addition to his police work, Jones was an accomplished “footballer,” playing rugby with the Clondalkin rugby team.

Fore more information:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1029/1224306730008.html

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By Nancy J. Rigg

Michael Kenwood, Swiftwater Rescue Team. Photo Courtesy of Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad.

Michael Kenwood, an EMT with the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, lost his life in the line of duty while attempting a nighttime swiftwater rescue on August 28, 2011, as Hurricane Irene inundated much of New Jersey.  The former director of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo), and  alumnus of the Brandeis Class of 1994, was 39.

According to news reports, Kenwood and a fellow member of the swiftwater rescue team were responding at 4:30 in the morning to reports of a vehicle that authorities believed was occupied and being submerged quickly in rapidly rising floodwaters.

It is unclear exactly what went wrong, but Kenwood was somehow swept into the powerful torrent and pulled, unconscious, farther downstream.  He was quickly transported to University Medical Center at Princeton.  While under treatment in the ICU, unfortunately, there were errors in reporting his death prematurely.  He died one day later, on August 29th.

According to a Brandeis University memorial article, Kenwood earned a law degree from Boston University and owned his own company, Kenwood Technical Consulting.  He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Frenkel, and 3-year-old daughter, who live in East Windsor, NJ.

In May 1990, a few months before enrolling at Brandeis, Kenwood was reportedly involved in an auto accident that changed the course of his life.  He shared his story in a 1993 letter to BEMCo:

“I will never forget the feeling of fear and helplessness that swept over me as I looked from my two friends, one of whom was unconscious, to the hysterical driver of the other car, to my right wrist, which was deeply lacerated and bleeding heavily,” Kenwood wrote. “I swore to myself that if I lived, I would learn the skills to care for myself and others should another medical emergency ever confront me again.

.. Being a member of BEMCo has been highly significant for me. From the most basic medical perspective, it’s given me the chance to apply and to share my skills as an EMT.  Beyond that, I’ve met some wonderfully talented and dedicated people.  Finally, it’s given me countless opportunities to grow as an individual.”

Remembering Michael Kenwood

Sadly, it was in service to others that Kenwood lost his own life.

Kenwood is the fourth swiftwater rescuer to die this year, within a deadly and tragic two month time period.

Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer, Sheilah Sweatman, 29, drowned on June 29th during a recovery mission in the Goat River near Creston, B.C.

Converse County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Gross, 29, lost his life on July 28th, during a river rescue incident on the North Platte River in Wyoming.

And Missouri State Trooper, Frederick F. Guthrie, Jr., 46, and his K-9 partner, Reed, were swept away in a powerful flash flood on August 1st.  Reed’s body was recovered, but, sadly, Guthrie is still missing.

Kenwood is one of at least 45 deaths in 13 states that have been attributed to Hurricane Irene, with the majority of losses caused by powerful inland floodwaters, the churning surf along the coastline, and falling trees.

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Condolences may be sent to:

Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad
P.O. Box 529
Princeton, NJ 08542-0529

Brandeis University Article:

http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2011/august/kenwood.html

By Nancy J. Rigg

Missouri State Trooper Frederick F. Guthrie Jr., and his Patrol K-9 Reed

It is with deep sorrow that we must report yet another public safety, line of duty loss in the swift water environment. Missouri State Trooper, Frederick F. Guthrie, Jr., 46, and his K-9 partner, Reed, have evidently drowned in powerful floodwaters, according to Colonel Ronald K. Replogle, Superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Patrol K-9 Reed’s body has been recovered, but Trooper Guthrie remains missing.

According to Highway Patrol reports, on August 1, 2011, Trooper Guthrie and Reed were working Missouri River flood duty in Holt County, Missouri, when they were both apparently swept away in a raging torrent.

On Tuesday August 2, 2011, at approximately 6:25 p.m. K-9 Reed’s remains were recovered approximately 100 yards from where Trooper Guthrie’s Patrol truck and boat were located. Reed was a five year K-9 veteran with the Patrol.

The recovery effort for Guthrie has been ongoing for nearly one week since he and Reed were swept away.

A support fund has been established to assist the family of Trooper Guthrie, who is a 17 year veteran trooper.  Guthrie leaves behind a wife and three children.

The support fund has been established at the Bank of Weston, Missouri. The address is Post Office Box 8, Weston, Missouri 64098. The funds should be sent to the bank in care of the Guthrie Family fund.

The death of Trooper Guthrie marks the third line of duty death in swift water within the last six weeks, and K-9 Reed’s death marks the first on duty canine death. Converse County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Gross, 29, lost his life during a river rescue in Wyoming on July 28, 2011. And Sheilah Sweatman, 29, of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association lost her life in the Goat River during a recovery operation on June 29, 2011, near Creston, BC, in Canada.

Sheriff Deputy Bryan Gross, Wyoming

Sheilah Sweatman, British Columbia.

More must be done to protect law enforcement, fire rescue and other officials serving in flood zones, or deployed to missions involving swift water.  It is hoped that comprehensive investigations of these recent tragedies will yield improvements in flood and swiftwater rescue preparedness for all public safety agencies nationwide.

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by Nancy J. Rigg

Deputy Bryan Gross

It is with great sadness that we must report a second line of duty death, within one month’s time, involving swift water.

Converse County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Gross, 29, lost his life on Thursday, July 28th, during a river rescue incident on the North Platte River in Wyoming.  Gross died just one month after Search and Rescue volunteer, Sheilah Sweatman, 29, lost her life during a swiftwater rescue mission in the Goat River, in British Columbia, on June 29, 2011.

Deputy Gross and other rescuers attempted to save the life of a distressed 14 year old teenage girl who entered the river and was swept away. The girl was rescued about a mile downstream. Despite intensive search efforts, Gross’s body was not recovered until four days later on July 31st.

Because of heavy snow melt, the North Platte River has been running higher than usual, with very cold water, making it extremely dangerous.  There have been numerous drowning deaths in Wyoming this year, including a family of four from Colorado who were killed when the highway beneath them was suddenly washed out during a heavy rainstorm.

Converse County Sheriff Clinton Becker hailed Deputy Gross as a hero, noting that his actions went beyond the call of duty.  Becker was quoted in the Washington Post: “He (Deputy Gross) made a decision to do what he did, and he did it to the best of his ability.”

As a result of this tragedy, Sheriff Becker told news reporters that the department will consider issuing PFDs (personal flotation devices, or life jackets) to deputies to carry in their patrol vehicles.  “We don’t do a whole lot of our work by the river — 95 percent of our work is out on the prairie,” Becker reportedly said. “But on occasion such as this incident, you just never know.”

Bryan served with the Converse County Search and Rescue and was a K-9 handler.

Bryan Gross was recently married, leaving behind a young widow.  In addition to his patrol duties, Gross was a K-9 handler and served with the Converse County Search and Rescue Team.  His police dog, Gus, helped search for Gross’s remains.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

The Gorman Funeral Homes – Converse Chapel of Douglas – has been in charge of handling the arrangements.

Condolences may be sent to the family at gormanfh.com.

In remembrance of Deputy Bryan Gross.

Photos courtesy of PRAYERS FOR BRYAN GROSS:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayers-for-Bryan-Gross/197163253675043

Those wishing to donate to the funeral services are encouraged to visit Converse County Bank or send check by mail to:
Amy Gross c/o, CCSO, 107 N. 5th St. Douglas, WY 82633.
Donations can also be made to Search and Rescue at Converse County Bank 322 Walnut St., Douglas, WY 82633

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During Recovery Mission in the Goat River in Canada

By Nancy J. Rigg

Sheilah Sweatman, 29, drowned July 29th, 2011

Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer, Sheilah Sweatman, 29, drowned Wednesday, June 29, 2011, during a recovery mission in the Goat River near Creston, B.C.  Sweatman’s body has been recovered.  The search for the remains of the initial victim, Lana Chipesia, 23, of Creston, has been suspended, due to the dangerous conditions in the river.

News reports indicate that her family understood Sheilah Sweatman’s sense of commitment to search and rescue, as well as recovery operations in water.   A coroner’s investigation is underway.

Speaking on behalf of families who have had loved ones missing in open water, or whose loved ones are currently missing, none of us would ever want a rescuer to die in pursuit of a recovery operation.  The potential danger must not serve as an automatic excuse for doing nothing, however.  Finding and recovering the physical remains of a missing loved one is often a vital step in the grief recovery process for surviving family members.  There must be a sensible, safe, and compassionate balance in this decision making process.

We offer sincere condolences to Sheila Sweatman’s family, friends, and fellow SAR specialists, including swiftwater rescue team members.  You are all in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

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For the first time, custom designed HIGGINS & LANGLEY AWARD TEE SHIRTS and BASEBALL CAPS are available for purchase.

The CAP is 100% brushed cotton twill, with an adjustable fabric tab back – with a brass D-ring slider.

Official baseball cap, with Higgins & Langley Award logo.

The tee shirts feature the Higgins & Langley Award logo, plus the motto: Courage * Skill * Honor.

Official Higgins & Langley Award tee shirts.

The cost is $20.00 (US) each, plus shipping.  Our sponsor, Rescue 3/Rescue Source, is handling the orders for us.

100% of the proceeds go to support the Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund, including the Higgins & Langley Award in Swiftwater Rescue.

Thank you for supporting our fund raising efforts to sustain these important awards.

Order information:

Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund:

http://higginsandlangley.org/forms.shtml

Rescue 3/Rescue Source:

http://rescuesourcestore.com/cart/index.php?&app=ecom&ns=prodsearchp&ecom–prodsearch–string=higgins&SUBMIT=Search

Thank you for supporting the Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards and our other important education programs.

*   *   *

By Nancy J. Rigg
Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund

Earl Higgins lost his life in the flood-swollen Los Angeles River when he rescued a 10-year old boy who fell into the raging torrent.

Flooding – including rising river floods, flash floods, flood-swollen rivers and streams, and hurricane spawned floods – is the leading cause of weather-related death.  Sadly, flash flood and river drowning tragedies often involve more than one family member, as loved ones scramble to help those who have gotten into trouble in the water.  Strangers, who are Good Samaritans, can also pay the ultimate price for attempting to rescue someone who has been swept away.

Fast flowing water can be deceptively dangerous.  When flood runoff is compressed into a cement-lined channel, just six inches of swift water can knock you off your feet and prevent you from being able to stand up again.  You will more than likely be swept downstream, at the mercy of the current.

Vehicles, including heavy trucks, can get swept away in less than 2-feet of swift water.  Never drive through moving water. 70% of all rising flood and flash-flood related fatalities are in vehicles.

Reminder from the National Weather Service: Turn Around, Don't Drown.

Please remind everyone, especially children, to stay away from flood control channels, rivers, streams and other flood-swollen waterways when there is a lot of snow melt or heavy rain runoff, including on sunny days immediately following, or in between, big storms.

When it rains, flood control channels, rivers, streams, and arroyos can quickly fill up with roiling flood water, creating a potentially life-threatening danger to anyone who gets caught in the torrent, or is swept away.  Even if it’s sunny downstream, it may still be raining heavily upstream, sending flash floods downstream.  Be weather wise!

Low head dam rescue training - this is a very dangerous place to be, even for highly trained swiftwater rescue technicians.

In addition to cold water, which can cause hypothermia to develop quickly, making it very difficult for someone to self-rescue, there are other dangerous hazards in flood control channels and other open waterways, including debris, floodwater contamination from toxic chemicals and waste, slippery slopes along the edges and riverbanks, snakes and other dangerous animals in some areas, and deadly low-head dams.

Low-head dams look like fun water slides, but are called “drowning machines,” because the water can churn victims up and over and down until they drown.  Victims are tossed around like laundry in a washing machine.  It is extremely difficult to get yourself out of this unique hydraulic.  Rescue is required, often at great risk to rescue personnel.

Flood control channels, rivers and streams are not a good place to play.

If you fall into the water, there may be NO WAY OUT! Swiftwater rescue is likely the only lifesaving option.

The Cabin John River Rescue team, on call in the Potomac River, Maryland, USA.

Ideally, everyone will heed the warnings to avoid flood control channels, fast-flowing rivers and streams in flooding conditions.  But if someone gets swept away, basic safety knowledge is vital in terms of helping swiftwater rescuers make a rescue.

What Should You Do?

• Never get into this situation! Stay away from flood control channels and fast moving floodwaters in streams and rivers.

What if You Fall In?

• Remain calm.  Don’t waste energy yelling for help after you have been spotted by someone.
• Get ready to be rescued.
• Try to float on your back with your legs straight and your feet pointed downstream.
• Use your legs to shove yourself away from obstructions.
• Keep your head up so that you can see where you are going.
• Watch for obstacles and debris!  If a tree or other stationary object is blocking the channel, forcing water over it, try to flip over on your stomach and approach the obstacle head-on, crawling over the top of it.  Most free-floating victims, who are being swept downstream in swift water, die when they get pinned against obstacles, or get trapped in submerged debris and vegetation.

Swiftwater rescue teams have special personal protective gear and equipment to use in rescue operations. Do not imagine you can do this unaided if someone you love falls into a roiling river.

What if You See Someone Fall into the Water?

• DO NOT GO INTO THE WATER AFTER THE VICTIM!
• Immediately call 9-1-1 (USA), or your local emergency response number! Tell the operator that someone who fell into the channel is being swept downstream and that swiftwater rescue teams need to respond.
• Give accurate information about where you saw the victim go in, what the victim was wearing, etc.
• Do not try to pull the victim out with your hands, a rope, or similar device.
• Do not attach anything to yourself and toss it to a victim in the water.  You will be pulled in by the force of the current.
• If possible, throw an unattached flotation device to the victim, such as a boogie board, Styrofoam ice chest, or basketball.
• If a dog or other animal has been swept away, do not try to perform a rescue yourself.  Call swiftwater rescue teams immediately.  Animals can be clever and survive, but many people have lost their lives trying to rescue their pets.  Never allow your dog to run off leash near a fast-flowing river or stream.  For their safety and yours, please keep all animals away from flood control channels, rivers and streams!

Rivers can rise rapidly and unexpectedly. Be mindful of the weather, remain alert, and stay away, stay alive!

Swiftwater rescue is one of the most dangerous of all technical rescue operations performed by fire-rescue teams.  Nearly half of all deaths in swift water are would-be rescuers, including Good Samaritans. By endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of others.

Stay away! Stay alive!

Thanks to photographer Roy Sewall for the Cabin John River Rescue Team photos, and to Travis County EMS.  All rights reserved.

in Swiftwater Rescue Announced

For Immediate Release

ASHEVILLE, NC. April 3, 2011—The Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund Awards Committee is proud to announce the 2011 Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards in Swiftwater Rescue, which recognize excellence in the field of flood and swiftwater rescue.

The awards will be presented on Friday, June 3, 2011, at 7:30 PM, at the annual National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) conference, at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Hotel, 1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, NV, 89431.  Telephone: 1-800-328-0876 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-800-328-0876      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

2011 Higgins & Langley Awards

Outstanding Achievement Award

Ocoee River Rescue

On October 3, 2010, Dr. Michael McCormick seriously injured his cervical spinal cord in a whitewater kayaking incident on the Ocoee River in Tennessee after being flipped in a hole at the top of Slice and Dice rapid. Paralyzed and unable to move, he was rescued by four kayakers he had met only 45 minutes before—Michael Howard, Kevin Sipe, Neal Carmack, and Bryant Haley. After realizing their new companion was in trouble, the kayakers chased him down though two sets of Class II-III rapids and were able to catch and roll him upright just before entering a larger set of rapids. At that point one of the rescuers (trained as a military medic) immobilized his neck while another paddled ahead to phone medical support. The rest got him into an eddy and with the help of a passing raft company evacuated him to the road side, where he was met by an ambulance and subsequently transported on a helicopter.

Program Development Awards

Breeding Volunteer Fire Department Technical Rescue Team, Columbia, KY

After an incident in 2009 in which a would-be citizen rescuer drowned, the Breeding Fire Department committed to the development of a technical rescue team. Since December of 2009, under the leadership of Captain Chris Taylor and Lieutenant Brandon Harvey, rescuers have put in nearly 1000 man hours of training, consisting of rope rescue and swiftwater technician at the NFPA 1670 and 1006 level. The department has acquired a 26′ enclosed trailer, technical rope rescue gear, 2 self-bailing rafts, a Mercury IRB, 10 sets of technician level PPE and 10 sets of operations PPE—altogether nearly an $80,000 investment in technical rescue gear. The team consists of 5 swiftwater rescue technicians and 7 rope rescue technicians, and trains monthly with Taylor and Green Counties.

Killeen Rescue Team, Killeen Fire Department, Killeen, TX

After dealing with prior flooding incidents in Central Texas Lieutenant Beau Arnold and Fire Rescue Officer/Paramedics Justin Todd and Darren Morphis of the Killeen Fire Dept. developed a flood rescue program meant to deliver safe, effective response for multiple rescues and evacuations. The program was put to the test on September 7, 2010 during a flood where water conditions varied from flooded creeks with moderate debris loads rated at Class III to Class IV-V water in creeks and streets contaminated with raw sewage and major debris including trees, household materials and fire ants. Over an 18-hour period the Killeen Fire swiftwater rescue team performed 83 flood rescues and evacuations, including one individual trapped in a tree in rising floodwaters and four dogs rescued by boat.

Swiftwater Rescue Team Awards

Travis County STAR Flight, Austin, TX

During the flooding following Tropical Storm Hermine in early September, 2010, Travis County STAR Flight deployed its three hoist-equipped EC-145 Public Safety Helicopters after receiving over 20 requests for search and rescue assistance throughout Central Texas. Thirteen individuals were rescued, including a man clinging to the roof of his submerged vehicle in extremely swift-moving water, three ground-based swift water boat team members whose rescue boat became stranded amongst trees in swift water, a family of four stranded on the second-story of their home, a man stranded on high ground surrounded by flood water, and four individuals trapped in their homes. All were hoisted to the aircraft with an extraction collar by a Helicopter Rescue Specialist (HRS), over half during the hours of darkness using night vision goggles.

Travis County STAR Flight Swiftwater Rescue Team: Glenn Anderson, Lynn Burttschell, Willy Culberson, Bill Derrick, Kristin McLain, Casey Ping, Chuck Spangler, Mike J. Summers, Kenneth M. Thompson

San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Swiftwater Rescue Team, San Diego, CA

On December 21, 2010, the Lifeguard Communications Center received a report from the United States Border Patrol of people trapped by water in the Tijuana River Valley. Lifeguard Swiftwater Rescue Team units responded and rescued three individuals from the Tijuana River. Much of the city was flooded in the most severe event since 1980, the major impact falling on Mission Valley, through which the San Diego River runs. Over the next forty hours, all across the city, the Lifeguard Swiftwater Rescue team rescued a total of seventy-three people and 7 dogs, responded to approximately twenty-three other calls, as well as assisting with the evacuations of some sixty people forced from their homes. Incidents included rescues of numerous persons who became trapped in their vehicles after attempting to cross the river. At the Premier Inn in Mission Valley the Lifeguard Swiftwater Rescue Team, with support from Fire Operations, constructed a tension diagonal rescue system to safely and efficiently evacuate all fifty-one occupants.

San Diego Lifeguard Swiftwater Rescue Team: John Everhart, Robert Albers, Michael Cranston, Troy Keach, John Sandmeyer, Jon Vipond, John Bahl, Jim Birdsell, Marc Brown, David Calder, Timothy Cicchetto, Charles Davey, Robert Eichelberger, Steven Malcolm, Daryl McDonald, Leslie Mendez, Ric Stell

Special Commendation Award

Matthew S. Peek, Water Entry Team (WET) Assistant Director, Reno Fire Department, Reno NV

On Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 Assistant Water Entry Team Director Matt Peek was instructing WET members on the Truckee River near Mayberry Park in Reno. Because of high water conditions Peek had had the team’s training venue changed to the Truckee that day, making it available for rescues if needed. While the class was in session two tubers, neither wearing PFDs, struck a partially submerged log jutting out from the right bank of the river. Both were flipped out of their tubes and one female became entrapped on the log, barely able to keep her head above water. Peek exited his kayak and reached the victim, keeping her head above water until her leg was freed. Shortly afterward a second group of five tubers came down the river and struck the same log. All went into the water, and a teenage boy with the party became entrapped on the same log. He was also rescued by Peek, who then recommended that the log be immediately removed. This was done shortly afterward with a rescue truck’s winch.

Higgins & Langley Memorial Award

Background

The Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards were established in 1993 by the National Association for Search and Rescue Swiftwater Rescue Committee in honor of Earl Higgins, a writer and filmmaker, who lost his life in 1980 while rescuing a child who was swept down the Los Angeles River, and Los Angeles County Firefighter Paramedic Jeffrey Langley, a pioneer in swiftwater rescue who lost his life in a helicopter incident in 1993.

The Awards have increased awareness about the need for specialized swiftwater and flood rescue training and preparedness. Today, worldwide training certifications have increased and agencies have been inspired to develop viable water rescue programs to protect the public and rescuers alike.

Thanks to our Sponsors

The Higgins & Langley Memorial Awards are sponsored by CFS Press, CMC Rescue, Inc., ESPRIT Whitewater, Fire and Rescue Concepts, LLC, K38 Water Safety, Liquid Militia, Rescue Canada, Rescue 3 International/Rescue Source, Rescue ONE Connector Boats, Sierra Rescue/Rescue 3 West, Whitewater Rescue Institute, and SkyHook Rescue Systems, Inc.  Additional support for the awards is provided by the Rudi Schulte Family Foundation, the National Association for Search and Rescue, Jon Stephen and Karen Langley Stephen, and the family of John B. and Shirley A. Rigg, as well as contributions from other generous individuals.

For more information: www.higginsandlangley.org

or contact Slim Ray             828-505-2917 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            828-505-2917      end_of_the_skype_highlighting       (slimray@gmail.com)

-30-

In honor of the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this article is being reprinted in order to salute the dedication and professionalism of the swiftwater and flood rescue teams and other water rescue resources that served during Katrina, including the United States Coast Guard.

Although far too many people lost their lives in Katrina, many more were rescued, and this chapter of swiftwater and flood rescue history deserves to be remembered.

Nancy J. Rigg

August 28, 2010

HURRICANE KATRINA: DEATH IN THE WATER

Is Anyone Listening?

By Nancy J. Rigg

"Welcome to New Orleans" (photo courtesy CA OES)

A typical Atlantic hurricane season features an average of ten named storms, according to the National Hurricane Center, with six of them reaching hurricane strength and two becoming major hurricanes.  In 2004 records were shattered when Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne devastated vast areas in Florida, moved up the East Coast through the Carolinas, and along the Gulf Coast to Alabama, killing more than 100 people.  For the 2004 hurricane season to be overshadowed seems almost unreal, but as National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator, retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. notes, the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season became “the most devastating hurricane season the country has experienced in modern times.”

2005 was a year of many “firsts,” including the first hurricane season with so many named storms that meteorologists had to dig into the Greek alphabet, with Tropical Storm Zeta becoming the 27^th named storm on December 30^th, a full month after the traditional end of hurricane season.  It was the first season featuring three Category 5 hurricanes and the first season with four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher making landfall.

2005 was also the first hurricane season that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, deployed rapid response swiftwater/flood rescue teams from the State of California to aid in water rescue operations when 80% of the City of New Orleans flooded up to 20-feet deep, leaving thousands of victims floating, clinging to trees, clambering into attics as their homes filled to the eaves, breaking through to their rooftops waiting for help, or drowning while waiting for help that did not come in time.

Although the U.S. Coast Guard and other air rescue assets began making air rescues in New Orleans as soon as it was prudent to do so, as many rescue assets as were available, more were needed.

Hurricane Katrina (photo courtesy NOAA)

Emergency Management Nightmare

Scientists continue to debate whether Katrina was a Category 4 or 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, but prior to hitting the Gulf Coast, Katrina generated huge ocean swells as a massive Category 5 storm, launching 20-30 foot tidal surge floods that combined with 8-10 inches of rain and walloping winds to obliterate countless communities.  In the aftermath of Katrina, emergency managers, fire-rescue personnel and law enforcement officers found themselves faced with the largest disaster impact zone in modern history.  90,000 square miles of coastland along the Gulf of Mexico, covering an area the size of Great Britain, suffered major infrastructure damage, if not total devastation.

New Orleans under water (photo courtesy OES)

Initially it appeared that New Orleans had survived relatively unscathed after Katrina made landfall on the morning of Monday, August 29^th.  According to William Lokey, Chief, Operations Branch, Response Division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who served as Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) during Katrina, on Tuesday, August 30^th, “We began getting anecdotal information that the levee had broken, then no, it had just overtopped with some local flooding and a lot of people went to bed Monday night thinking we’d dodged the ‘big one.’”

The full magnitude of flooding in New Orleans did not become clear until Wednesday, August 31^st.  “Our initial report was that there were some problems, but the Coast Guard had it handled,” Lokey says.  “We didn’t have a full appreciation of how much New Orleans was flooding and how bad it was until Tuesday.  No phone lines worked, no radio towers were up, nobody could communicate with anybody.  The infrastructure was gone.”

FEMA Makes a Bold Decision

For several years there has been an effort to improve the means of coordinating mutual aid resources during major emergencies when local, county/parish and state resources can quickly become overwhelmed.  Before Katrina made landfall FEMA pre-staged urban search and rescue (US&R) teams from Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Ohio and Indiana in Louisiana and Mississippi, with additional US&R Task Force Teams from Florida, Virginia, and Maryland, as well as medical, military and logistical assets on alert.

In addition to federal assets, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) facilitates the sharing of mutual aid resources across state lines in times of disaster or emergency.  Over the past few years water rescue assets have been deployed through NEMA’s Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), but in the absence of national swiftwater/flood rescue standards and team typing, past calls for water rescue resources have turned major flood responses into a “you-all come help” scramble, creating serious command and control problems in the flood zone.

OES Swiftwater Rescue - IRBs (photo courtesy of OES)

In an attempt to help ensure that qualified swiftwater/flood rescue assets could be called up through EMAC if flooding were to become an issue, before Katrina made landfall, Lokey provided state officials in Louisiana with information about respected and experienced swiftwater/flood rescue teams, including assets from North Carolina, Maryland, Texas, and California. Unfortunately at the time, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) was not a signatory through EMAC.  Lokey quickly secured permission to deploy California swiftwater/flood rescue teams as federal assets.  He justified this bold action by noting that “people are not dying in collapsed structures or for lack of ‘safe rooms’ in tornadoes.  People are dying in moving water that is generated by hurricanes.”

“It was unprecedented to have eight of our swiftwater/flood rescue teams deployed through FEMA,” Deputy Chief Charles Hurley of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) Fire and Rescue Branch, Special Operations Division notes.  “FEMA does not recognize water rescue as a component of their US&R program at the federal level.  Because of major floods in 1995 and 1997, the State of California recognized that flood and swiftwater rescue is an integral US&R component.  Our US&R teams are, first and foremost, a local asset.  Second, here in California they are also state assets.  And third, they are federal assets.  Because floods are one of the most common disasters that we respond to, as state assets we made the decision to affiliate our water rescue teams with the US&R Task Forces.  California now has ten Type 1 flood and swiftwater rescue teams.”

Launching into the flood zone (photo courtesy of OES)

Hurley explains that only a few states have developed a genuine capability to manage and quickly deploy swiftwater/flood rescue teams statewide, including California, Texas, and North Carolina.  Water rescue experts continue to make a push within the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System to address this issue at the federal level.  “It’s something that the US&R teams have been pushing FEMA on for years,” Hurley says.  “If you review responses historically,” he adds, “the bread and butter operations for FEMA and the US&R program have been hurricanes, not incidents like the World Trade Center, Oklahoma City, or earthquakes.”

Swiftwater rescue teams from Northern California – Sacramento City Fire Department (CA-TF7), Oakland Fire Department (CA-TF4), and Menlo Park Fire Department (CA-TF3) –and Southern California – Los Angeles City Fire Department (CA-TF1), Los Angeles County Fire Department (CA-TF2), Orange County Fire Authority (CA-TF5), Riverside City Fire Department (CA-TF6), and the San Diego City Fire Department including the Lifeguard Division (CA-TF8) – were alerted about a possible deployment before Katrina made landfall, mustered on August 30^th and arrived in New Orleans on the 31st. “By 11:00 that morning the three swiftwater/flood rescue teams from Northern California began deploying our boats,” Hurley says.  “By 5:30 PM the balance of the teams had arrived and relieved the first three teams.  From about 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM, the California teams rescued about 500 people.”

In the flood zone (photo courtesy of OES)

Incident Management Muddle

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11^th, the federal government reviewed existing emergency response plans, found them less than adequate and implemented the National Response Plan (NRP) through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  According to DHS documents issued in 2004, “The purpose of the NRP is to establish a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident management across a spectrum of activities including prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.”  It is important to note, especially in light of all the finger pointing and condemnation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that “the NRP is built on the template of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a consistent doctrinal framework for incident management at all jurisdictional levels, regardless of the cause, size, or complexity of the incident.”

OES commanders (photo courtesy OES)

Multi-agency incident command and control begins at the local level and expands as needed.  Theoretically, when every agency involved in a response adheres to standard incident command system (ICS) protocols, “the Plan ensures the seamless integration of the federal government when an incident exceeds local or state capabilities.”  Minimum NIMS compliance nationally was supposed to have been established no later than September 30, 2005, with agencies nationwide meeting full compliance in 2006.

It is difficult to measure the skill levels that pre-existed Hurricane Katrina’s arrival in Louisiana, but numerous reports from the field indicate less than fluid ICS or NIMS capability at local, parish, and state levels.  Without the solid foundation that NIMS provides, major disasters like Katrina can quickly deviate from the envisioned “seamless response” noted in the NRP to a flimsy house of cards that collapses from the bottom up.

“It is critical to have a common operating system,” says Lt. James “JP” Troy, swiftwater rescue team manager for Oakland’s US&R Task Force (CA-TF4).  “With all the incidents we respond to on a regular basis in California, from wildland fires to floods to other large events, we’re adept at using ICS.  We fall right into the system and know how it works.  But when you’re coming into other areas of the country like Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, they’re not quite as adept.  Being in the middle of a major disaster is not the time to be teaching the system.”

According to William Lokey, “One of the lessons learned over and over again is that people need to be up to speed with ICS.  Just taking ICS 100, 200, or 300 on the FEMA web page doesn’t cut it.”  Efforts were made to establish a unified command center functioning within standard incident command, but Lokey admits, “It was so big, so confused, and so Raggedy Andy, it wasn’t very good.”

Swiftwater Rescue teams being inserted into the flood zone (photo courtesy OES)

Menlo Park Fire District Division Chief Special Operations Harold Schapelhouman, who serves as CA-TF3 Program Manager and oversees the agency’s water rescue resources, notes that incident management problems reach beyond a simple understanding of ICS and NIMS.  “Nationally,” Schapelhouman explains, “we have a lot of swiftwater rescue personnel trained at the operations level, but what we don’t have is enough people who understand water rescue at the management level.  This is a hole in the system.  Although the management capability is evolving, unfortunately, many people who understand search and rescue, including US&R, simply don’t understand the series of moves that you need to make in a water rescue environment and how to prioritize where you need to put your assets.  Swiftwater and flood rescue teams are ‘special forces’ units, with a clearly defined focus and capability.  They could have been used more effectively.”

Schapelhouman recalls having the swiftwater teams lodged in a convoy over four miles long leading into the flood zone.  “Management didn’t understand the light, fast, mobile capability of the swiftwater teams,” he says.  “We were stuck behind the Type 1 US&R teams that couldn’t get their busses across the water, which was a big mess.  It was like putting Special Forces behind the Army.  That’s not what you want to do.  You put those guys out front and let them do what they do best.”

Control of the Flood Zone

OES swiftwater rescue teams heading to the flood zone (photo courtesy OES)

With live television news covering the unfolding misery in New Orleans, an armada of self-deployed volunteers joined with various public safety agencies to ferry willing survivors and animals out of the flood zone.  Unfortunately, boats were also commandeered for less noble purposes by looters and others taking advantage of the situation.  Charles Hurley notes that command and control on the water was a challenge.  “There were myriad assets with boats from the Coast Guard to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, with folks who were experienced boat operators, to volunteers helping people out,” Hurley says.  “We had citizens showing up with everything from $30-50,000 bass boats to dilapidated, beat up old aluminum boats, with no life vests, no personal protective equipment or anything.  They just wanted to drop their boats into the water and go get people.  I applaud the desire to help, but this kind of freelancing makes coordinated search and rescue efforts very chaotic and potentially dangerous.”

Hurley recalls one airboat operator with a penchant for “pulverizing” rescue boat crews with putrid floodwater.  “This ‘volunteer’ would wait until our rescue boats got behind him and then he would throttle up that airboat and send nasty water spewing over our boat crews,” Hurley says.  The volunteer claimed not to be doing this on purpose, but “we watched him wait until the organized boat crews got behind him, throttle up and dust them,” Hurley adds.  The man was arrested by local sheriff’s deputies and removed from the water.

Bringing a young survivor ashore (photo courtesy of OES)

Command and control problems, compounded by major communications problems, affected all levels of the response.  “FEMA is there to support and help with response and recovery efforts,” Hurley says, “but they are not supposed to be the primary emergency response component.”  In the absence of a functioning command and communications structure, members of a FEMA Incident Support Team (IST) stepped up to the plate and everyone worked together to resolve issues in the field.

Security and Safety

Lt. John Greenhalgh serves with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, Lifeguard Division, and manages CA-TF8’s swiftwater rescue team.  With eleven river rescue lifeguards, a task force leader from the fire department, a communications specialist-paramedic, and a logistics specialist, the 14-member swiftwater rescue team offers a “strong mix” of aquatic and fire-rescue personnel.  Greenhalgh recalls driving towards the flood zone on their first day of operations past the over-crowed Super Dome.  “People were yelling at us saying they needed help,” he says, “but we knew that the people we were being sent out to help needed it even more than they did.  We saw that they had water and MREs.  I’m sure they were uncomfortable, but we were going out to help people who were trapped inside flooded houses.”

On the second day of operations, with anger and lawlessness mounting, security concerns brought rescue missions to a halt.  “When they didn’t let us go out, it was hard, because rescuers want to get out there and get the job done,” Greenhalgh says.

CA-TF!, Los Angeles Fire swiftwater rescue team (photo courtesy of OES)

The majority of California swiftwater rescue personnel come from agencies that serve in large urban areas with varying crime rates.  “At some point you’ve got to take back the dirt,” Harold Schapelhouman says, “but how do you do this in a flood zone?”  Schapelhouman stresses the importance of working closely with local fire-rescue and law enforcement personnel.  “Even if it’s a jurisdiction that doesn’t have water rescue capability and is impacted to the point where their command, control, and operations are completely devastated, like New Orleans was, you still need local personnel to provide a clear reference for the area.”  Schapelhpouman commends a small group of New Orleans firefighters who worked closely with the swiftwater rescue teams throughout the deployment.

Lessons Learned… Again

Tracking Numbers: Currently there is no federal system to accurately track disaster death statistics in a meaningful way, where the presence or lack of technical rescue teams is evaluated.  Nor is there a means to accurately track the number of people who benefit from technical rescue expertise, like swiftwater/flood rescue, where a high skill level is required.

Photo courtesy of OES

The number of rescues being touted varies from 33,000 plus by the Coast Guard alone to joint-agency rescues and evacuations in the thousands.  Without faulting any agency’s desire to shine, Harold Schapelhouman is quick to point out, “It’s important to note that this effort involved many rescue teams and resources working together.  It wasn’t a single agency that pulled this off.  It was a combination of everybody in a variety of disciplines working together.”

Rescue (photo courtesy of OES)

“The US&R and swiftwater rescue teams have been credited with 6,582 saves,” William Lokey says.  “FEMA personnel were on land, in fish and wildlife boats, working with the Coast Guard, working with military helicopters, we had a lot of people down there.”

Media Coverage: Selective media coverage put the federal government in a bad light, without telling the full story.  Coverage of the swiftwater rescue team deployment was spotty at best.  “I’m a little disappointed that the story has not been fully reported,” Lokey muses.  “We pre-staged more assets than ever.  We launched quicker than ever.  We saved more lives than ever.”  By law FEMA is supposed to supplement local response capability, not supplant it.  Unfortunately, the lingering impression in the aftermath of this catastrophic storm is, “Where was FEMA?” Lokey says.

Beyond the public relations issue a serious public safety debate about future operations is unfolding.  “FEMA is being criticized for everything that went wrong, including things outside of their responsibility,” Harold Schapelhouman says,” but nobody’s seeing what went right, including the deployment of swiftwater/flood teams.  The fear for me, as a first responder, is when you have the President of the United States being told that the military can do a ‘better job’ than FEMA, what you’re saying is that master mutual aid, which certainly is not where it needs to be, but continues to improve, can be replaced with something different.  FEMA needs to become more all-risk, more inclusive, and better funded.  We hope that FEMA remains the federal vehicle to coordinate responses and that swiftwater/flood rescue is finally integrated into the system.”

Rescued in New Orleans (photo courtesy of OES)

*  *  *

Photos courtesy of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES

Robert A. Eplett, photographer.

An unknown number of dogs and domestic pets drowned or were abandoned as a result of Hurricane Katrina. We must also remember them and learn...

The Swiftwater Rescue News would like to remind all public safety agencies in hurricane prone areas that they need to be prepared to perform a variety of water rescues and help with evacuations – not just along the coast, dealing with storm surge issues, but also in inland flood zones, when rivers rise and flash flooding occurs.

Agencies need to prepare now to manage swiftwater and flood rescue operations using proper technical swiftwater and flood rescue equipment and protocols.

All agencies need to provide industry standard water rescue PPE (protective gear) to personnel to keep everyone safe and give potential victims a fighting chance to be rescued.

All government workers who are working in and around floodwater should be issued a properly fitted, US Coast Guard approved PFD (personal flotation device, life jacket) and required to wear it.

Los Angeles County, CA) Urban Search and Rescue Teams from the Los Angeles County Fire Department practice swiftwater rescue techniques during a training drill. Photo by: Jason Pack/FEMA News Photo

The predeployment of swiftwater rescue teams in advance of oncoming storms, especially in areas that may produce heavy inland flooding, is strongly recommended.

Nancy J. Rigg

Editor, Swiftwater Rescue News

Hurricane Season Begins

Bolivar Peninsula, TX, December 6, 2008 -- Specially trained cadaver locating dog "Cooper" (upper left) works a pile of debris while his trainer and flanker look on. Months after Hurricane Ike left the area a disaster, final sweeps are being made to determine that no human remains are still in the piles; clearing the way for cleanup crews to move in and start removing the mess. FEMA supports this mission, along with many others, as a community recovers after a disaster. Mike Moore/FEMA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Tuesday June 1, marks the official start of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season that runs through the end of November.  Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spent the day urging American families, businesses and communities to take every possible precaution to prepare for hurricanes and other disasters.  FEMA continues to work with its state, local and federal partners to increase preparedness and coordinate response and recovery in the case of a hurricane or disaster, and uses the start of hurricane season to remind Americans to assess their personal readiness to respond to emergencies.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate spent the day at the FEMA Region IV offices in Atlanta, Ga., visiting with leadership and staff as they continue to plan and prepare for hurricanes and other emergencies that threaten the southeast.  FEMA Region IV encompasses Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky.

“June 1 should serve as an important reminder about the need for individuals to be prepared for any emergency,” said Administrator Fugate. ”This may be the start of the hurricane season, but emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere, and everyone needs to be prepared – not just those folks in hurricane prone states.”

Earlier today, FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino marked the beginning of the season by giving the keynote address at the Delaware 2010 All-Hazards Preparedness Conference.  Serino stressed the importance of working together at the local, state and federal levels to prepare for all hazards, and the important role that individual preparedness plays in ensuring a strong response to hurricanes and other emergencies.

Everyone, including those living outside of hurricane-risk areas, should check their personal preparations and emergency kits, note any alerts

New Orleans, LA, September 8, 2005 -- An aerial view of a gas leak located next to a house impacted by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is being evacuated as a result of floods from hurricane Katrina. Thousand of people have been rescued from the flood waters by Urban Search and Rescue teams from around the country. Photo by Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

or messages from local emergency officials, and rehearse emergency evacuation routes.  Emergency kit supplies should last at least 72 hours.

Important items to have ready in case of an emergency include a battery-powered radio, flashlight, extra batteries, medicine, non-perishable food, hand-operated can opener, utility knife and first aid supplies. All important documents should be copied and stored in a waterproof bag.  These may include medical records, contracts, property deeds, leases, banking records, insurance records and birth certificates.

When preparing for hurricane season and potential emergencies, the needs of all members of a household should be considered.  If a household includes a person with a disability, special steps to assist them may be necessary and should be incorporated into all emergency planning.

Pets also require special handling.  They may become agitated during the onset of a storm, so a pet carrier is a must for safe travel.  Pet owners should research pet boarding facilities now within a certain radius of where they may evacuate, since animals may not be welcome in all shelters or hotels.

The beginning of hurricane season is also the time to consider flood insurance coverage – most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.  Not only are homes and businesses in hurricane-prone states at risk for flooding, but inland flooding is common in nearby states.  To assess flood risk for a home or find a local agent selling national flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov or call toll-free at 1-888-379-9531.

Galveston Island, TX, September 17, 2088 -- A volunteer for the Humane Society tends to a dog displaced by Hurricane Ike in a shelter set up to help animals displaced by the hurricane. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

As hurricane season gets underway, FEMA continues to support the coordinated federal response to the BP oil spill.  Planning for the 2010 hurricane season has involved consideration of the BP oil spill and its potential effects on all hurricane response and recovery scenarios.

To see a video message from Administrator Fugate about this hurricane season, visit www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/2568.

For more preparedness information, please visit www.fema.gov and www.Ready.gov.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femainfocus, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only.  FEMA does not endorse any non-government Web sites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.