Eagle firefighters, river guides team up for boater rescues in big-water year

Steve Lynn
Vail correspondent
Aspen, CO Colorado
April 17, 2008

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EAGLE, Colo. — Firefighters in Eagle will work with a local boating business to rescue people in rivers this year, as a large amount of melting snow this spring is expected to make rivers faster and rapids bigger.

Firefighters from the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District and river guides from Timberline Tours will train together and rescue kayakers, rafters and other boaters who get in trouble this year.

Greater Eagle firefighters have been doing river rescues for four years, said Deputy Chief Chris Blankenship. With heavy spring runoff expected, firefighters felt they could better handle rescues by working with experienced river guides who know the rivers well, he explained.

“The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know,” Blankenship said. “So we wanted to keep pushing to provide the best customer service we can.”

River guides will be paddling rivers every day and if they see boaters in trouble, they can respond right away, he added.

“It’s something they’re doing as a community service free of charge to the fire department, which is really nice,” Blankenship said.

Lose your boat? Report it
In a related move, Eagle firefighters are asking that kayakers and other boaters report their runaway boats this year.

If kayakers lose their boats on the river, they should report it to authorities by calling (970)479-2200 or calling the fire department at (970)328-7244, Blankenship said.

Firefighters often get calls from people about boats floating upside down in the river, and reporting missing boats will help firefighters avoid unnecessary rescue efforts, Blankenship said.

“We get our fair share of false alarms,” he said.

Reporting a lost boat also could help the owner get it back. Boaters should write their names and phone numbers in their boats with a marker, so firefighters can return them if they’re found, Blankenship advised.

Boaters also should write their names and emergency contact information in their life jackets in case they’re hurt or killed, he said. That helps authorities identify people and locate family members to let them know, in a “worse-case scenario,” what happened, he said.