'Incredibly dangerous work': Search and rescue teams helping Abbotsford residents by boat, helicopter

CTV National News: The road to recovery More than two months since the devastating floods in B.C.'s Sumas Prairie, residents are still struggling to rebuild. Melanie Nagy reports.

Vancouver — Dozens of people have been rescued from flooded areas in Abbotsford, B.C., with assistance from local search and rescue crews.

Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service Chief Darren Lee said Thursday crews have been navigating swift water and unpredictable conditions to get people from their homes.

"It's incredibly dangerous work," he said. "Just the power of moving water, all the hazards."

Lee said people who need rescuing are urged to call 911. Those calls are put into a dispatch queue for the Abbotsford Police Department and prioritized based on who is in the most critical position.

Some calls are then forwarded to Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue, while others go to Chilliwack Search and Rescue. Those agencies come up with a plan for how to get to the person.

BOAT RESCUES

With water levels high in many parts of the Sumas Prairie area, crews are rescuing many people by boat.

"Some of the challenges when they go by boat is that the water could be very deep or actually shallow, so they have to drag their boats over roadways or something where water's flowing," Lee said.

"They have to navigate swift water and standing water and just understand there's fences and things underneath what they're navigating."

Lee said once the team gets to a house, it'll do an assessment to make sure members don't put themselves into a dangerous position.

"They would put (personal flotation devices) on the folks they're rescuing, get them in the boat, whether that's stepping off a porch or stepping out of a second-storey window into the boat," he said.

AIR RESCUES

Lee explained more remote places require helicopter assistance and two different methods might be used.

"There's hoist machines where they literally have a hoist where they can lower a rescuer down, they put the person in a harness, bring them up into the helicopter and fly them to safety," he said.

The other option is a long-line machine, where they rescuer "dangles on essentially a rope" and the person is put in a harness and flown to safety outside the helicopter.

WHAT'S IN THE WATER?

Lee reiterated that officials don't know what's in the water and whether it's contaminated or toxic. On Wednesday, Mayor Henry Braun said several manure plants have been submerged in flooded areas.

"All of our rescuers go through a decontamination process once they're done. They wear dry suits, they wear helmets so that we can protect them as much as possible," Lee said.

In Wednesday's update, Abbotsford Police Department Chief Mike Serr urged people to stay out of the water, especially if it's toxic.

"We don't have a full assessment of how bad, but assume that this water is not something that you want your children in a kayak (in), or you want to be swimming or wading in this water – and we're seeing that," Serr said.

"So again, I'm asking the public: we appreciate that you want to see what's happening and things like that, but we need you to stay away … It is not safe for your family."

Officials said Thursday about 600 people have left their homes, with dozens of them requiring rescue assistance. About 11 more people still need to be rescued.