By NATALEE SEELY
July 22, 2009
PARKERSBURG - The Parkersburg Fire Department has purchased sonar technology capable of scanning the river waters up to 240-feet deep and 720-feet wide.
"With Parkersburg being on the river, the need for rescue boats equipped with the latest technology is very necessary," said Parkersburg fire Chief Eric Chichester.
The light-weight Humminbird Side Imaging device mounts onto one of the fire department's rescue boats. While the department has two boats, only one is equipped to carry the device. The sonar includes a global positioning system, topographical sonar and the capability to take underwater pictures.
It captures shapes and shadows from below the surface of the water, whether the object is floating or resting at the bottom of the river.
"We can take the boat out whenever there is a body missing or a report of a drowning, and with the sonar, we may not even have to call divers or dredge the river," Chichester said Tuesday.
"It could be the most miserable weather in the world, and the sonar GPS tells us exactly where we have been so we don't waste time during a search."
The device, costing about $2,100, shows the depth and temperature of the water and can zoom into small or blurry images.
"One really important thing for us to know is the water temperature. It gives us an idea of a person's survival time if they happen to go overboard," said Jason Fleak, a firefighter with the Parkersburg Fire Department.
"You could search for boat wreckage, vehicles and bodies. Eventually, once we get more skilled in using it, we could even locate evidence, like guns or other weapons thrown into the river," Chichester said.
Chichester said the fire department is training firefighters to operate the sonar.
"We have several guys who are really knowledgeable on it, and we are hoping to get more of them trained to use it," he said.
The rescue boats, kept at a dock in the Parkersburg Yacht Club, are shared by the Parkersburg Police Department and the fire department.
Until two years ago, when the fire department responded to an emergency on the river officials had to haul one of the rescue boat from Station One on Avery Street to Corning Boat ramp off Staunton Avenue. It could take up to 15 minutes to get the boat in the water. With the new dock location, officials can be on a boat and ready to go in about five minutes, Chichester said.
"About two years ago we made an agreement with the yacht club, and they allow us to dock our rescue boats there for just a dollar a year," he said. "The boats used to be very troublesome to load and unload, but now they're very accessible. In an emergency situation, it's great to have the boats so close. We could get over to the Little Hocking River on the boat in just 11 minutes."
The sonar was used for the first time in late June, during the search for missing boater Jeremy Midcap. Midcap went missing after a boat full of passengers capsized near Civitan Park in Belpre. Chichester said officials were searching with the sonar, but did not find the body because it had drifted so far down the river.
River One, the radio name for the boat equipped with sonar, is a 22-foot-long fishing boat that seats six people. It is equipped with sirens, lights, a radio and a loudspeaker.
The boats are used for a variety of emergency situations. "There's a lot of action on the river. We get calls about kids jumping off bridges and boats running out of fuel," he said. "Every now and then we go out and tow in docks that somehow get detached."
Chichester said technologies such as the new sonar have made their rescue boat even more effective when responding to emergency situations. He said he plans to order floating portable water pumps so officials will have access to high pressure hoses on the river.
"We want these boats to be as capable as possible so we can keep people safe. We'll go wherever we are called, even if it means going outside our jurisdiction," Chichester said. "Life safety is what we are all about."
February 22, 2010, 02:11:00 PM
