BOISE, Idaho — With the potential for rescues on the Boise River increasing, some may be wondering what emergency plans are after the Boise Fire Department's only dive boat was damaged after getting stuck under a bridge Tuesday.
The boat became wedged under a Broadway Avenue Bridge pillar and was heavily damaged by the time it was pulled out of the water Tuesday afternoon.
Boise Fire officials said crews were conducting a training exercise when the boat had a malfunction.
Three divers were forced to take the appropriate emergency measures to get to safety. One was able to get to shore, while the others climbed onto a bridge abutment and were eventually rescued.
One of the firefighters was hurt and was evaluated for minor injuries.
So now what, with the boat out of commission?
Boise Fire crews are prepared, according to Paul Roberts, the department's division chief of Special Operations.
"We'll still respond to water rescue emergencies, the difference being that opposed to being out there on a boat, all rescue efforts will occur from the shore," he told KTVB on Wednesday. "That's a common practice in the industry, so we're not unfamiliar with it. In fact, all of the firefighters on the Fire Department train for water rescue operations from the shore."
During shore-based rescue operations, firefighters equipped with life jackets and throw bags -which are special bags that have rope - throw those items, and other things like life rings, to people who need help and assist them back to shore.
Boise Fire is evaluating whether to put the boat back in service or replace it. In the meantime, they can't borrow another one from another agency because they said no one has a boat that functions the same way as Boise's does.
By the way, the boat is named after Marty Sam - a Boise firefighter who died in the 1970s while assisting the Valley County Sheriff's Office during a rescue on Payette Lake.
Now, as crews prepare for another water rescue season, they're emphasizing how dangerous the Boise River is because of the swift and extremely cold water.