Daring midnight water rescue draws glowing praise for Trail firefighters
By Kyra Hoggan
There was an impressive water rescue of an 18-year-old Castlegar woman from the Columbia River last night, according to RCMP Acting Sgt. Darryl Orr.
Orr had nothing but praise for KBRFR (Trail Company) for helping a woman with potential mental health issues who waded into the water near the Trail boat dock and was swept away by the current.
“I don’t care what kind of boat you are in, with that current, the cold and the dark, you are in danger. That is an incredibly treacherous river,” he said. “They did amazing work.”
Acting Fire Captain Rick Morris said crews got the call at 12:30 a.m., and dispatched seven firefighters to assist. RCMP were also on scene. The woman was found near the end of Glenmerry (Rock Island) and was pulled from the water at roughly 12:45 p.m.
She was subsequently taken back to the boat launch, where BCAS paramedics waited to treat her and transport her to hospital, where she remains at this time.
“She doesn’t appear to have any lasting injuries as a result of the swim,” Orr said. “I have nothing but high praise (for those search crews). It would be like finding a needle in a very fast-moving, dangerous haystack … in the dark.”
