(Melfort Fire and Rescue/Facebook)

By Cam Lee

Water Rescue Near Melfort

Driver Rescued After Vehicle Submerged Near Melfort

Oct 1, 2019 | 2:06 PM

A scary incident near Melfort this morning.

Fire crews were called about a vehicle submerged in water in the Rural Municipality of Flett’s Springs at 8:38 a.m.

When crews arrived, an occupied vehicle was found upright in a body of water.

Melfort Fire and Rescue inflated a rescue craft, and two firefighters wearing water rescue gear safely transferred the occupant from the vehicle to the rescue craft, then to shore.

The occupant was described as alert and calm, and was taken to hospital by paramedics.

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“The occupant, or driver, was in the vehicle for several hours before they were observed by a passerby, so definitely with the weather that was upon us [that was] rather chilly…I think there was some cold issues there but otherwise [the driver] seemed to be in good health,” Everett told northeastNOW.

Fire crews then helped attach a recovery cable to the vehicle, which was towed away.

Everett said having a water rescue is a challenge crews don’t often face.

“Water rescue was something that was identified a few years ago as a gap, and so fortunately through donations they were able to secure this equipment,” Everett said. “This is the first time it was used in an actual event – we’ve used it in training several times – but this is the first time that it was actually used on an actual deployment, and it worked very well.”

The call is another example of the strong partnership with the fire department, Melfort Ambulance, and Melfort RCMP, Everett said.

“When an incident happens like this, or a fire or a car accident, we work very closely not as three separate agencies, but as a team,” Everett said. “Everybody brings a set of skills to the call and we’re very compatible and we work very closely together, and I can’t say enough about the relationship with the agencies here in the Melfort community.”

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974