By Justin Sondel
The Buffalo News
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. 鈥� With a hot September sun beating down, Niagara Falls Firefighter Earl Bass climbed over the rail on the First Street traffic bridge above the roaring rapids a few hundred yards from the brink of the falls. With ropes attached to his belt buckle and upper back, he slowly descended toward the deadly waters, a team of his compatriots lowering him to a shallow spot where the water covered the slippery rocks by a few inches.
Donning a yellow helmet and red and yellow swift-water dry suit, Bass stepped onto a submerged rock, paused to retrieve his cellphone from a zippered pocket and smiled for a selfie. Today, he was playing the victim in a swift-water training exercise, part of a new program for the department despite being involved in rapids and gorge rescues for about as long as fire brigades have rushed to the aid of folks in the Cataract City.
Bass, sweat dripping down his face shortly after being rescued by his partner Gus Nienburg , said joining the swift-water team has been eye opening.
鈥淭his is way outside my comfort zone,鈥� he said.
Bass said that while standing in the rapids was both unique and exciting, he also gained a lot of knowledge by performing the training and built trust in his fellow swift-water team members.
鈥淚 felt a lot more comfortable doing this,鈥� Bass said. 鈥淕us is a good dude, too, so I wasn鈥檛 worried about his ability to come get me.鈥�
Bass and Nienburg are among the eight swift-water team members. The unit was created last fall, though plans to institute an official swift-water team had been in place since 2019.
Jason Cafarella , a member of the swift-water team who handles logistics around training and organization, said that those plans were delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, when state trainings were canceled.
But last year the department was able to upgrade its equipment and send eight firefighters to the state鈥檚 training course in Oriskany , near Rome . There they spent the better part of a week 鈭� four firefighters in September and four in October 鈭� receiving classroom training and practicing what they learned on the state鈥檚 swift-water training course.
Cafarella described it as a ringed pool, akin to the lazy rivers found at resorts and theme parks, with various terrain obstacles and powerful jets that move the water. The ring then attaches to a pond-like area where first responders can train for deeper water scenarios.
There is also an area in the center with cars and mock buildings where they simulate flood rescue scenarios, he added.
鈥淪o not only were we trained in swift water, we were trained for flood response, too,鈥� Cafarella said.
All Niagara Falls firefighters go through rope rescue training, techniques that are deployed in the rapids and the gorge using fixed pulley systems to allow all units to safely respond to emergencies that require first responders to retrieve people from the rushing waters or haul them out of the steep-walled gorge. Prior to the team being put in place, no one was specifically trained on how to deal with the rapids. And the equipment they had was dated and not ideal for rapids rescues.
Cafarella said the cold water wetsuits they used to wear during rescues were used as an example of the wrong type of equipment during the state training. The buoyancy of those suits make it harder for first responders to keep their feet planted to the slippery rocks below the rapids.
鈥淚f your body is buoyant, it鈥檚 harder to get a footing, because as you鈥檙e stepping, your feet are being dragged away as your feet are coming up off of the ground,鈥� he said.
The new drysuits and improved pulley system make things easier on first responders performing rapids rescues, he added.
While the training exercises offer swift-water team members interesting days at work and experience that will be valuable when they are involved in real-life rescues, the teams also know how risky even training exercises can be. They need to only look 20 miles south to Buffalo , where Buffalo Police Officer Craig Lehner died during a 2017 dive team training session in the Niagara River near the Peace Bridge .
鈥淓ven though the things that we鈥檙e doing, there鈥檚 aspects of them that are fun, it鈥檚 still inherently dangerous,鈥� Cafarella said. 鈥淎nd even though we take as many safety precautions as possible, there鈥檚 always a risk.鈥�
Back on the First Street bridge firefighters and members of the New York State Parks Police swift-water team took turns lowering each other into the rapids. The next day they gathered again, this time wading out into the rapids off of the Three Sisters Islands in Niagara Falls State Park .
The swift-water team has not responded to a live rescue since it was formed last year. But Nienburg, the firefighter playing the role of rescuer in the training, said they know it鈥檚 only a matter of time before they will be called upon. And the work they did this week will help them when they are put to the test.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be prepared when the time comes,鈥� he said.
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