The City of Swift Current Fire Department were on the Swift Current Creek recently holding surface water rescue training. 

Deputy Fire Chief Pete L'heureux said the focus of the training is to be prepared for any emergencies or situations that can come up at this time of year. 

“We're on that shoulder season right now where lots of open water, a little bit of ice,” he said. “You know, an animal, a kid, somebody who's maybe thinking they can get across that thinner ice instead of taking a bridge or the walk around. That's the situation that we're looking at.” 

L'heureux added that part of the training drills involves working with specialized equipment designed for water rescue. 

“Part of what we had out for equipment the other day was our Zodiac Water Rescue boat,” he said. “And the practice for the boat is, within our region, lots of little lakes, little ponds, little bodies of water that we want to be able to if somebody goes in, a vehicle’s upside down, something like that, we want to be able to be practiced and prepared for any type of rescue or operation we may need to help with.” 

L'heureux reminded people to practice safety and be careful around open water this time of year with melting and thin ice.