- September 16, 2024
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The first week of September signals the end of summer, but it also is the time for the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department’s annual jet ski rescue training.
Personnel on the three Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department shifts each spent a day in the waters off Bradenton Beach, collaborating with the Manatee County Beach Patrol to refresh their skills on marine rescue maneuvers.
The department receives water rescue training twice a year — once from the beach and once on the jet skis.
Training Captain John Elwood said the lessons serve as continuous training for the crews and as a good opportunity for the department’s newer employees to get exposure to water rescue procedures.
The three days on the water also gave Longboat Key firefighter paramedics the chance to interact with Manatee County Beach Patrol personnel, maintaining the relationship between the neighboring agencies.
That way, Elwood said, when the two respond to calls together, there’s already some familiarity with one another.
Overall, the training days were full of learning. Lieutenants David Snyder and JC Rapier from Manatee County Beach Patrol led the session Wednesday, Sept. 4.
“The biggest thing we’re getting out of this is learning how to rescue people using a jet ski,” Elwood said.
Longboat Key doesn’t have lifeguards on its beaches. If there are any marine rescue calls from the water or beach, Longboat Key Fire Rescue answers the call.
Last year, Longboat Key Fire Rescue was dispatched to 125 calls for service on the water, but 99 were canceled while units were en-route, so 26 calls required a response, according to Fire Administration Manager Tina Adams.
The Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department has a mutual aid agreement with neighboring agencies and can be called to respond as a second response vessel. Of the 125 calls for service, 56 were within Longboat Key, 55 were in Sarasota County, 13 were in Manatee County and one was in Venice.
This year’s training featured a new jet ski for the department, one that’s a little faster than its previous one and has improved features like electronic reverse capability.
Every crew member first took a couple minutes to ride around on the jet ski, doing some figure-eight patterns and high-speed turns to get comfortable with the machine.
Then, the crew members practiced how to rescue a person by themselves. Using a channel marker as a simulated victim, the firefighter paramedics worked on carefully approaching from the side and also reversing toward the “victim.”
That way, if it were a real rescue, the victim would be able to grab onto the rescue sled attached to the back of the jet ski.
Next, the team split off into pairs and practiced two-person rescues.
As one person controlled the jet ski, the other firefighter paramedic on the back reached toward the victim — in this case, Rapier served as the victim. The firefighter paramedic on the back interlocks forearms with the victim, then lets the victim drift toward the back of the jet ski to the rescue sled.
The final two-person rescue required one firefighter paramedic to jump into the water to retrieve the victim. It took practice to figure out the correct timing and distance to jump off the back of the ski toward the victim.
These jet ski training days were a part of the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department’s emphasis on continued training for crew members. Though new recruits finish their onboarding training within a couple of years, the firefighter paramedics are continuously keeping their skills fresh.
