FMFD pulls swamped boaters off Mississippi

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BY PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison firefighters pulled a stranded boat off the Mississippi River Sunday morning. No one was injured in the incident.

At about 10:20 am the Fort Madison Fire Department was dispatched for a report of a boat that was taking on water approximately a mile north of the Santa Fe bridge. Fire crews responded with the department's utility truck, along with rescue boat 9481.

Upon arrival at the entrance of Riverview Marina, the crew made contact with the 911 caller. The caller provided the crew with the phone number of a person on the stranded vessel. Contact was made with the stranded boat which confirmed their location and that there were two people aboard. The rescue boat was launched from the Willow Patch boat access at 10:42 am. The crew arrived at the stranded boat at 10:53 am. Firefighters found a boat up against shore with two persons aboard. The boat had been swamped by multiple large waves prior to arrival causing it to no longer be operational.

Firefighters towed the boat, along with the persons on board, back to Riverview Marina arriving at 11:38 am.

While today’s incident had a good outcome, any incident on the river can quickly become dangerous. With the summer months approaching, FMFD would like to remind the public to practice proper boater safety and to never hesitate to call for assistance on the river.

The Fort Madison Fire Department is fully equipped to handle emergencies on the water.

boat, Firefighters, fort madison, Mississippi River, news, Pen City Current, rescue

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