Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Duck hunters rescued

Four duck hunters rescued Monday in a dramatic rescue sure to become a legendary film - not quite. We find:
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office received a call about 5:15 p.m. from a man asking for help for friends whose boat had overturned.
I don't want to criticize the county and city fire departments and rescue personnel that do a hell of a job. But sometimes they can't be on the scene right away. They just can't be everywhere all the time.
Another call came from Stephen Schultz, another duck hunter on the water, who said he had located the hunters who had fallen in the water and that they were safe in his boat.
The obvious point I want to make is that private citizens are our true First Responders. A fellow hunter rescued these four men before anyone else. I'm sure everyone involved was thankful that the lake had one extra hunter that day.

Looks like everyone responded as they should: a nearby citizen rendered assistance, first responders and fire departments arrived next for aid and prep for the county ambulance crew who transported two of the hunters to a nearby hospital. This could have ended badly.

Kudos to all.

3 comments:

straightarrow said...

but, but, don't we keep hearing that first responders don't need or want our help? I mean some CCW retire cop instructors teach that in their classes.

Wouldn't everybody have been better off the "First Responders" had fished the dead bodies out of the lake? My God! Next thing you know people will be helping each other.

straightarrow said...

what next? Self-reliance? Increased security for everybody? How can the state tolerate that, when they keep telling us we need them to keep us safe? My God! The system as we know it, could crumble.

Seriously, the above is not to denigrate those who run to the sound of the guns or scenes of emergencies, but to ridicule those who say they are the only ones who should.

strandediniowa said...

I've worked with some first responders and ambulance crews that would leave nothing behind to save a life.

But there was a instance this summer in Des Moines where a construction crane operator and worker saved a woman from drowning. The husband didn't make it, though. They used the tools they had and made a difference by acting before the "authorized" rescuers arrived.