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Quick rescue of people floating down Penticton River Channel

People had tied their floaties together and got caught on either side of the bridge pillar
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Penticton firefighters return to their truck after performing a rescue of some trapped River Channel floaters on Monday morning, July, 12. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)

With the temperatures rising in Penticton, so are the number of people heading to the River Channel — and the risk of rescues which took place on Monday.

The Penticton Fire Department responded to rescue some floaters who had become trapped at the Eckhardt Avenue bridge.

The floaties they were using had been tied together with a rope that had trapped them on either side of the bridge’s support pillar.

It is not the first time that people have had to be rescued, and it is one very important reason why people heading down the channel are asked not to tie their floaties together.

With the high water levels and the fast-moving current, it can be easy to get caught and either tossed out of your floaties or trapped in or under the water, said Penticton fire chief Larry Watkinson who was present for the rescue.

READ MORE: Penticton Fire Department gears up for another busy year of river channel rescues

Separate from the hazards that come with using a rope to tie together your floaties, the current can also easily carry you out of the river channel and into Skaha Lake if you are not prepared.

The current can shoot you out far into open water, where it is easy to exhaust yourself trying to swim back to shore and to become hypothermic from the cold water despite otherwise hot conditions.

If you do plan to head down the full length of the channel, make sure you depart at the exit before the final bridge. A Good Samaritan may not be able to rescue you, and they could drown as well.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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