Posted: 3/15/05
Brownsville Fire & Rescue pleased with new device
 Bill Kohlmeyer prepares to rescue Gary Meiners using the Rescue Alive device. Photos by David Heiller |
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
It didnít quite make sense, seeing all those broad smiles on the faces of Brownsville Fire and Rescue Squad members last Saturday morning.
They were all taking turns jumping into the Mississippi River at the south end of Brownsville Bay, and the air temperature was in the teens. It was certainly cold enough for the dozen or so reporters that stood around watching them.
But give a fire department a much-needed piece of equipment ó for free ó and youíll see smiles like those displayed by Gary Meiners and Jane Bjerke, no matter the conditions.
They were testing out, and demonstrating for us media types, a new piece of equipment called ìRescue Alive.î It is basically two pontoons connected together, with railings to hold on to.
Fire and rescue members showed reporters how it worked in a mock drill near Lawrence Lake Marina. Someone had fallen into the water. In the first case, it was Meiners, who seemed to be enjoying himself as he floated in the water in his dry ìGumbyî suit.
The fire department was paged for the mock drill. Four members, Valiree Green, Rich Cordes, Cecil Graf, and Chris Dvorak, ran down two sets of steep steps, across a dock, and onto the ice. They were carrying the Rescue Alive device, which weighs 88 pounds and folds up into a bundle about the size of a small coffin.
They had it set up in less than a minute. Then Bill Kohlmeyer, dressed in a yellow ìMustangî dry suit, hustled toward Meiners, shuffling quickly between the pontoons. The other firemen stood by the shore, holding onto a rope tied to the device.
Kohlmeyer got to the edge of the ice, then pushed off toward the floating victim. He paddled a few times to reach Meiners, then slid him onto Rescue Alive and paddled back to the edge of the ice.
The other firemen strained at the rope, and soon Kohlmeyer and Meiners were onto the ice, where they were quickly pulled to safety. The whole rescue took perhaps three minutes.
That speed is one of the many things that rescue workers like about Rescue Alive. This device is much faster than other ice rescue techniques, Bjerke said. ìItís all about speed,î she said. ìWhen theyíve got hypothermia, they canít last very long.î
Rescue Alive will work well for summer rescue operations too, she said. It is at water level, so if someone has a back injury, there is less of a chance for further injury if they are slid onto Rescue Alive rather than hoisted over the edge of a boat.
Positive comments abounded during several demonstrations for the television and newspaper reporters. ìThat just took minutes, and the best part is we were safe doing it,î Bjerke commented after one drill.
Valiree Green said she thought she would have trouble pulling Bjerke onto the device during her training, but she didnít have any problems. ìItís a lot easier,î she said.
ìIt is slick,î Cecil Graf said, repeating a word that others used too. ìWhen I first saw it I thought it was kind of chintzy.î
Houston County Sheriff Mike Lee, who watched the mock drill and talked to reporters, explained that the $3,000 device was donated to the Houston County Sheriffís Posse by an anonymous Houston County couple. The sheriffís posse kicked in a couple hundred dollars too. ìBrownsvilleís right on the river so we thought itíd be better used down here,î Lee said.
Bjerke is glad about that. ìThis is the one piece of equipment that weíre missing,î she said. It can also be pulled by snowmobile or jet ski, and holds up to 600 pounds.
Brothers Sam and Dan Jaquith from the Rochester area did the training last Saturday. They are instructors for Riverland Technical College. ìItís a real nice, versatile piece of equipment,î Sam said. The Rochester Fire Department, of which he is a member, has used it one time, he said, to rescue an animal.
Dave Meyer of Houston, a member of the sheriffís posse, said his group will have access to the Rescue Alive and will get training for it.
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