Warm weather turned Sunday into a dangerous day on the Cedar and Green rivers with three swift water rescues within about two hours.
According to Battalion Chief Dave Bille, the first rescue call occurred at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday on the Cedar River. Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety received a call three people were stuck in the river near the Riverbend Mobile and RV Park in the 17400 block of state Route 169.
A mother, her daughter and a man were riding a raft down stream when they hit a cottonwood tree that was down in the river.
The man tried to hold onto the mother, but eventually lost his grip. The three were able to make it to the shore, but the mother suffered hypothermia and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The second Cedar River rescue occurred at 4:30 p.m. in the 17600 block of 201st Place Southeast.
A man and a woman were riding an inner tube with a group of 11. The man and woman hit a downed tree with their inner tube.
According to Bille, firefighters from Maple Valley fire with swift water training and King County paramedics assisted in the operation.
When the emergency personnel arrived the woman was sitting on the tree and the man was in the water holding onto it. Bille said the man could not swim and did not have a life jacket.
A swift water rescue team member got into the water with a tagline and another team member was able to get life jackets on the man and woman. The two were brought to shore and there were no injuries.
“It was a full exercise,” Bille said. “It went off really well. From first call they were out of the water in 30 minutes.”
Bille said a large number of trees have fallen into the water, and with warmer weather rafts, boats and inner tubes are dangerous on the rivers.
“There are so many trees in the water,” Bille said. “It’s going to be a busy summer if we don’t get it cleaned up.”
The battalion chief said the fire department is talking to King County about putting signs up to warn people of the dangers of downed trees in rivers.
Maple Valley fire has swift water rescue team members with two boats on duty 24 hours a day.
The third swift water rescue occurred at about 4 p.m. Sunday on the Green River. King County Fire District 44/Black Diamond Fire Department firefighters and emergency medical personnel along with King County Sheriff’s Office marine unit and Guardian two helicopter assisted five people stranded in the river near 17300 block of the Green Valley Road.
Cheri Copper was first to report the rescue effort Sunday.
According to fire district spokesman Tim Perciful, the four men and a woman were in a boat that flipped. The five were stranded on a log boom. The firefighters and marine unit dropped two boats in the water to rescue the group. One man had an injured leg and was airlifted out and transported to an area hospital for treatment. The other four walked out with emergency personnel. One firefighter twisted his ankle during the rescue, but was able to walk out on his own.
Perciful wrote in a safety message, “Rivers are dangerous and can be deadly. The water is cold and fast, and can put people in danger without notice. Many people get in the water without the proper training and/or equipment and not only put themselves in danger, but also put other boaters, and responders in danger.”
