Water rescue teams with Ottawa Fire Services were kept busy over the long weekend with four separate water rescues in the Deschênes Rapids on the Ottawa River since Saturday. Public information officer Nick DeFazio said on Tuesday that there were two rescue calls on Saturday, one on Sunday, and another Tuesday morning, with a total of six people needing to be brought to safety. The first call came in at 9:53 a.m. Saturday, about a boat that was stranded. “Our Water Rescue Team launched a rescue boat and located the lone occupant. Two water rescue technicians then paddled a Fortuna rescue craft to the stranded boat and safely brought the occupant back to shore at 10:44. No injuries were reported,” DeFazio said. Just before 5 p.m. Saturday, 9-1-1 received a call about a person yelling for help in the rapids. “A personal watercraft had capsized, and its lone operator was in the water. Our Water Rescue Team quickly reached the resident and safely brought them back to shore,” DeFazio said. “Firefighters assessed the resident and confirmed there were no injuries.” The next incident came at around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, when water rescue technicians were training and spotted two kayakers in distress, stranded on a rock in the middle of the rapids. The team was able to bring the kayakers to shore safely, and no one was hurt. On Tuesday morning, a 9-1-1 call reported someone in the rapids yelling for help. DeFazio said there were two swimmers who were trapped in separate areas. “The first swimmer was rescued at 11:46. The second swimmer was located in a significantly more dangerous section of the rapids surrounded by rocks and fast-moving water approximately three to four feet deep. Our Water Rescue Team deployed an inflatable rescue boat and successfully rescued the swimmer at 12:38,” he said. The Deschênes Rapids are the busiest site for water rescue calls for Ottawa Fire Services, DeFazio says. “The Deschênes Rapids are our most frequent location for water rescues. Our highly trained Water Rescue Teams respond quickly but the safest rescue is the one we never have to make. We need residents to recognize the danger and stay out of the rapids,” he told CTV News Ottawa. “Strong currents, submerged rocks and turbulent water can easily overwhelm even experienced swimmers and paddlers. Residents should never underestimate the power of moving water. Please always wear a properly fitted personal flotation device when on or near the water.” Sean Duffy, with the Lifesaving Society of Ontario says looks can be deceiving. “The current itself makes it hard to swim or boat and then the hazards under the water—rocks, tree branches and other objects—can cause harm to swimmers and boaters,” he said. “Never go out alone. Always go with a friend and bring the right equipment. That might be wearing a life jacket, and having the right gear for the environment you’re going into.” Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh added that her office was worked to install signage to warn residents of the dangerous current. “City staff reviewed signage at Britannia Beach and have installed signs with pictograms and clear messaging to warn people of the rapids and strong currents. The Britannia Yacht Club also posted signage on their pier, and are working with the federal government to get warning buoys installed in the water,” Kavanagh said in a statement. “Many who end up needing to be rescued were unaware of the dangers of the rapids and many were not wearing a personal floatation device. More education is needed to alert the public of the dangers of the Deschênes Rapids and the volatility of open water in general.” With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katelyn Wilson
