October 17, 2018 at 4:36 p.m.
Town of Little Rice purchases versatile rescue boat
Town of Little Rice purchases versatile rescue boat
Fire chief Scott Pockat said he was putting some finishing touches on the rescue boat, ensuring all needed equipment was in the right place, on the Saturday of Fall Ride for MDA Weekend when an emergency call came in.
There was a man on an island out on the Willow who had no feeling from the waist down, Pockat reported.
"We were able to have an EMT, medic, two fire department personnel and a family member of the patient who was directing us to the correct location on Paradise Island, all in the boat," Pockat said, noting that the town's old vessel, a 12-foot row boat, held only two personnel and a patient. The new 20-foot boat with a CR hull is 8-feet wide at the base and purposefully built for the task of assisting in this type of rescue. The boat was built by Oxbow Marine in Juneau, to the exact specifications of the committee, and it paid off during its first call to duty, according to Pockat.
"The EMT was on one side and the medic was on the other, and they both had room to work," Pockat said. "They had the gentleman strapped to a long board to minimize any potential damage to what was thought to be a back injury."
The man was eventually transported to Tomahawk Hospital, he said.
"The boat did everything we needed it to do," Pockat said. "The types of rescues we can perform with this boat will not only benefit the Town of Little Rice, but even surrounding communities like Nokomis, Cassian and Minocqua. We will work with the (Oneida County) dive team, too."
A GPS system will be invaluable in situations where the boat may need to be located by others and the Down-Imaging and side sonar are great tools for water rescues, allowing the operators to see what is under the water not only below the boat but its sides, the chief said.
The boat is also equipped with an onboard pump, allowing firefighters to use lake water to fight fires near the shore, Pockat added.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].
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