Canton Volunteer Firefighters, Others Rescue Injured Kayaker from Banks of Farmington River
July 7, 2014 by John Fitts, editor
Members of the town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department rescued an injured kayaker from the edge of the Farmington River Monday afternoon.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., after a call from New Hartford officials, the department sent its Rescue (9) vehicle, Ambulance (Car 10) and manpower to help remove a patient from the edge of the river in the Satan’s Kingdom gorge, Fire Capt. Scott Goeben said.
Due to the nature of the injuries and the steep banks in the gorge, the call was upgraded to a “full water rescue response” and additional members of the Canton department responded with Engine 1 and the Marine 1 boat through an access road along the river in Nepaug State Forest, Goeben said.
Members of the Department launched the boat upriver, picked up the patient and a Campion Ambulance medic and navigated downriver to the jamboree field. There, additional firefighters, with help from members of Burlington’s water rescue unit, removed the boat.
A Canton ambulance crew transported the male patient to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. Further details on the patient and nature of the injury were not given but officials said it did not appear life threatening.
In all, the rescue took about two hours, and approximately 20 Canton firefighters assisted, officials said.
Goeben said New Hartford firefighters provided backup in Canton and the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department also assisted on the call. The state department of Energy and Environmental Protection was also advised of the incident.