Calgarians have been heading to the Bow River this week to cool down, but with the rise in river activity, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) has been busy making rescues.
“We know when the weather gets this warm a lot of people are going to be on the water and some people aren’t going to be as prepared as they should be,” says Carol Henke, public information officer with the CFD.
Three CFD boats are patrolling the river this week watching for anyone who finds themselves in a tricky situation. There have been several calls and rescues already this week, the majority of which are for people on floaties not meant for fast-moving water.
“They puncture very easily and they’re all one chamber,” says Henke. “So, once you get a hole in it, it deflates and then hopefully you’re wearing a life jacket, which is the law.”
Rescues happen all over the river but Henke says many of the calls come from Harvie Passage. The area is meant for kayakers, with man-made rapids, but some rafters attempt to pass over them and capsized, stranding people in the middle of the river.
“It’s not a lazy river, it’s not a water park, it’s meant for kayakers,” Henke says about Harvie Passage. “The rocks — if you hit them with your back or your head — it’s going to hurt or you might end up unconscious.”
Most rafters are taking the necessary safety precautions and are thankful crews are out in case they get into trouble.
“We bumped into a bridge early this morning,” says Roy Tanwani, who floated the Bow with friends Thursday. “We had a few scary calls, but we were glad they were around to help out.”
Jackie Thorne has been floating the Bow for 30 years and knows how quickly things can go wrong.
“The river was fast, and I told my husband to move to the middle,” explains Thorne. “But we got popped, hit a rock and it put a hole right through our unit.”
Thorne and her husband were able to get out of the river safely, but she makes sure to always wear her life jacket in case something similar happens again.