RESCUE
WATER & FIRE JEFF FIRE ’ S WATER RESCUE TEAM READY FOR CHALLENGES
BY JEROD CLAPP
Especially as the weather warms up , calls for help on the Ohio River become more frequent . Sometimes , it ’ s just a boater whose boat engine gives out , or it could be something more serious .
Either way , Sgt . Michael Osborne on Jeffersonville Fire Department ’ s Water Rescue team said boaters are surprised when they see JFD headed toward them when they ’ re experiencing trouble .
“ A lot of people don ’ t think about that until they have to call 911 and there ’ s an emergency on the water ,” Osborne said . “ Then they see us come out and they think ‘ Oh , the fire department does that , too .’ The general public just doesn ’ t think about that kind of stuff .”
The department has had dedicated boats ready for years , it ’ s first one coming in about 13 years ago . Capt . Chad Ogden said most JFD firefighters have had at least some training for water rescue . The team members change based on the day , or even by the shift , but when Ogden started training as a firefighter about 13 years ago , he didn ’ t realize how much it would become a part of his job .
“ Really , when you start training to be a firefighter in the beginning , you don ’ t realize how much we ’ re asked to do across the board for so many different things ,” Ogden said . “ It ’ s not just firefighting , it ’ s not just medical runs , there ’ s a lot of training we need to go through because we never know what we ’ re going to be called on to do that day .”
ABOVE : MEMBERS OF THE JEFFERSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT WATER RESCUE TEAM AT WORK ON THE OHIO RIVER . NEWS AND TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO .
20 Jeffersonville Fire Department / 150 years