Medics Respond to Water Rescue in the Patuxent River
 
By Chief of CALS Chris Shannon FTO
April 19, 2019
 

At approx 1330 hours today MD Natural Resources Police (NRP) alerted Calvert Control to start a full water rescue assignment to the tip of Broomes Island for the report of a boat that had come ashore under power with no one in it. Units from St-Leonard VFD, CALS, Solomons VFD, Dive Team all responded within minutes of the call. Chief 7A arrived on scene first and established the command and began to assign incoming water resources to the search area. M101 (PMIC J. Paiva) and M105 (Lt P.Davekos) arrived soon after units from St-Leonard and reported to the command post. Boat 3 and Zodiac 7 as well as boats from MD NRP searched the Patuxent River for approximately 1 hour. Early on in the search a request was made for MSP aviation but was denied due to weather, in an attempt to gain an aviation resource the NRP contacted the US Coast Guard who alerted their closest aviation resource "Watchdog" (a black hawk Rescue Helicopter from Pax NAS). Due to deteriorating weather conditions the search was called off after approx 2 hours of searching from the air and sea. As units were clearing the area and "Watchdog" was leaving the area, a subject was seen in the water. "Watchdog" deployed its rescue swimmer and lowered its basket into the river and removed the subject from the river and raced him to St. Mary's Hospital. Sadly the boater did not survive the incident, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

 
Units: Chief 7A, Sqd 7, A78, M101, M105, Dive team, Boat 3, Zodiac 7
 
Mutual Aid: NRP, CCSO, US Navy