City’s Water Rescue team shares river safety tips
By Lethbridge Herald on June 27, 2025.
Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
Members of the Water Rescue team with Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services, took part In a dive training exercise this week to improve their skills and learn new ones, and on Thursday they shared some tips on to stay safe while spending time on or near the Oldman River.
Charles Schoening, Water Rescue Team lead spoke to media Thursday about their training and said it is very important for people to have a plan before heading to the river.
“We are here doing some public safety diving training. Something we do every three years to refresh everyone’s skills and to train new members of the team. This is what we would do it we need to search for evidence, or an unfortunate drowning incident and we have to do a recovery,” said Schoening.
He said that now that people are taking advantage of the nice weather, some may do so by spending time close to the water. He added that the river is a popular place to float, rafting and swimming.
“It’s important that someone know what your plan is. If you are going to go for a float, make sure to call a trusted family member or friend and tell them when you’re planning on going to the river, where you will park your vehicle, which vehicle you are taking, and expected time of arrival is.”
That way that person can take action if you are delayed, and they can take the necessary steps to let LFES know to look for you.
Schoening added that people should not be consuming alcohol while on the river and to be aware that the river is very slow moving and therefore it may take longer than anticipated to get from Botterill to Pavan Park.
People should always wear a life jacket and use a floatation device that’s meant for river floating and not just a small floaty that is not made for it.
“Even though it’s a slow-moving river, there are still some things that can get you in trouble. There are unpredictable currents, varying depths in the river, you don’t always know what you are going to be dealing with,” said Schoening.
People should wear sturdy footwear in case they need to exit the river at any point, to make sure they are able to walk to shore.
“If you are out there in bare feet, it is not a friendly river. There are big sharp rocks and then you will be arriving on to a shore where there is all branches, so keep that in mind.”
Schoening suggested carrying a fully charged cell phone in a waterproof pouch in case of an emergency and said that most places along the river have good cell reception and people can call for help if necessary.
“The last thing is, the High Level Bridge is not a good place to be in the water,” he said. “There is extremely unpredictable current around the pillars of the bridge and there is a lot of snag risks.”
He pointed out that a barbed wire fence has floated down the river, along with steel beams, tons of fishhooks and fishing line, which makes it an extremely dangerous place to be.
“The pillars themselves are also private property of the rail company, so technically you shouldn’t be on it at all, but is also not a good place to recreate,” said Schoening.
Braden Burton, a member of the water rescue team, told media Thursday that throughout the week he’d learned a lot as a new diver and getting certified as well as with the specific training received for water rescue diving.
“I always thought that scuba diving would be a fun activity to try, and this is a perfect opportunity to get my feet wet with that opportunity and do something productive with it in the fire department,” said Burton.
Part of the training was focused on teamwork and being able to rely on one another, especially in environments with low to almost non-existent visibility like it was the case in the Riverstone Pond.
“There is like zero visibility under there, maybe two inches in front of your face, so it’s super important to have someone connected to you on shore who is giving you signals and talking to you via intercom, making sure that you’re going the right direction and not loss or in a dangerous place,” said Burton.
During the diving exercise, an object was thrown in the pond and divers had to look for it and retrieve it, while other members of the team were on shore, providing support and guidance.
22-21
I am making a real GOOD MONEY ($100 to $500/ hr) online from my laptop. Last month I GOT chek of nearly 19840$, this online work is simple and straightforward, don’t have to go OFFICE, Its home online job. You become independent after joining this JOB. I really thanks to my FRIEND who refer me this SITE…..,
Just Open This Website_______ https://rb.gy/2vg6ew