Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Provides Water Safety Training for Over 100 Children in the Carson Valley
Minden, NV- The Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (DCSAR) Team, a volunteer based 501(c)(3) organization, completed another successful summer water safety training series this past Saturday (20 August), in concert with the Carson Valley Swim Center (CVSC) and their staff. Over 100 children and their parents learned the basics of water safety in and around lakes and rivers. Those trained included junior lifeguards swim lesson attendees, cub scouts, and girl scouts.
The students were taught how to safely enter and exit a raft, defensive swimming tactics, how to avoid debris and strainers in a river, what to do when unable to exit a river, and how to safely catch a rope thrown by Search and Rescue personnel during a rescue and be pulled to shore.
Students also learned the importance of wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), aka a “life jacket.” Of note, the night before the 21 July classes, DCSAR supported a search and rescue incident at Lake Tahoe near Cave Rock, where the subject was rescued after multiple hours in the water after falling off a jet ski. Because he wore a PFD, he was saved and did not drown – something that is a familiar result when PFDs are not worn around lakes and rivers. This provided emphasis for the students on the importance of a PFD for their safety and the safety of adults that are with them.
Sarah Davenport, Supervisor at the Carson Valley Swim Center, stated that “We are so thankful to have Douglas County Search and Rescue partner with us during the summer months for both our swim lesson program as well as our Jr lifeguard program.” Frank Dressel, Chairman of the CVSC Board of Directors agreed with Ms. Davenport, “These programs are so important for our community to be educated on how to react and survive in the various water scenarios throughout our valley.” Mr. Dressel added, DCSAR …” does an excellent job in teaching these water safety skills, which one day will save a life.”
To the volunteers of DCSAR, opportunities like this are another way to give back to the community. These types of training events are considered preventative Search and Rescue (or Pre-SAR) activities – if they lead to saving one life or making it easier for DCSAR to safely complete a rescue mission, then the time is well worth it!
If you are interested in supporting DCSAR via donation, check out our website at https://douglassar.org and follow the links to the donation page that leverages PayPal technology.