Swiftwater rescue teams from both Forsyth County and Gwinnett County worked together to rescue a man in danger of drowning on the Chattahoochee River over the weekend.
Forsyth County requested assistance from Gwinnett County’s Swiftwater Rescue Team from Fire Station 14 in Buford when they received 911 calls advising dispatch that a man was in the middle of the Chattahoochee River with water up to his neck. The callers stated that the man did not have a life jacket or know how to swim.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene by The Rapid S.O.S. system, an emergency response data platform that uses connected devices, smartphones and more during emergencies to give first responders more accurate, life-saving data to aid them in their calls.
The first firefighters to arrive on the scene attempted to access the river behind the dispatched location while S.R.T. – 2 took up a position on the Highway 20 bridge as a down-river safety. Swiftwater 14 then used the boat launch at the lower pool at the Chattahoochee River to launch Boat -1. Johns Creek Fire Department personnel were staged at the McGinnis Ferry Road and Highway 23 bridges due to reports that the man lost his grip and fell into the water.
Two rescue swimmers with the Swift Water Rescue team from the Forsyth County Fire Department entered the water after locating the victim on the Gwinnett County side of the river south of Bowmans Island clinging to a piece of wood.
Gwinnett’s Swiftwater Rescue Team using Boat -1 and three swimmers on board were able to get to the victim and safely get him on the boat. He was taken to the lower pool boat ramp where he was assessed by paramedics and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
According to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, all fire department swimmers were out of the water and the scene was under control by 8:01 p.m.
