SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The weather is coming, and while rain is needed, rescuers from the San Diego Fire and Lifeguards services are prepping for the inevitable flooding.
“We are anticipating rescues, and you just don’t know, are you going to see a quarter of an inch an hour or is it going to be half inch to more,” said Lt. Jacob Magness with San Diego Lifeguards.
Swiftwater teams are checking their gear to make sure when it’s game time they are fully ready for whatever swiftwater emergency has thrown at them.
“Reach, throw, row, go is the common phrase,” said Sgt. Connor Robbins with San Diego Lifeguards
That means rescuers stay out of the water if possible in a swiftwater rescue.
“We toss this bag to someone floating down a river,” Robbins said.
But in many cases, there is simply no time for setting up a clean rescue, so the rescuer is forced to dive in to save a stranded driver or someone swept down a flood channel. That’s when the dry suits come into play.
“It’s so important, this is going to protect us from environmental exposures we might see,” Robbins said.
And in the areas of the Tijuana River Valley or really anywhere, there is fresh runoff. These dry suits will keep these lifeguards warm and relatively clean, so if you want to help these dry suits last a little longer, take this advice.
“If the road looks flooded don’t try to go through. You don’t know how deep it is, there could be submerged branches and trees that your car gets hung up on, so don’t even try it,” Magness said.
Dozens of drivers flood their cars every single major rain so don’t be one of them.
“Turn around, don’t drown,” Magness said.
