PHOENIX - Arizona’s monsoon is just over a month away — and emergency responders are already training for the swift water rescues that are to come.
Because it’s not an issue of "if," but of "when."
Every year, rescue crews are faced with situations where they must rescue people whose vehicles have drifted off into the water during monsoon.
A rescue helicopter hovers above water as dust and debris fills the air.
“It’s to simulate a car being stuck in a canal or wash and they cannot get any other way, any other means, to that person,” said Jake Vanhook of the Phoenix Fire Department.
The department said firefighters put this crucial training to work more than a dozen times a season.
The raft in this exercise simulates a vehicle that’s been carried away. The men inside the raft are acting as passengers desperate for help.
“Obviously, the first thing is prevention. We want to stay out of low lying roadways,” said Vanhook.
But when all else fails, that’s when it becomes a full out swift water rescue.
“You have to give all the credit to firefighters on the ground face-to-face with the victims,” said Vanhook.
The flight crew and rescue team rely on hand signals to communicate
“Obviously it’s a very scary situation for them. Panic sets in,” said Vanhook.
If you ever find yourself in this scenario you should call 911 right away, and if you can, try to get on the roof of your vehicle.
“It is safe at that point to stay on top of your car, or safer than getting into the water and trying to get out on your own,” said Vanhook.
