After four drowning deaths last summer in the section of the Potomac River that runs along Montgomery County, the MCFRS is again reminding folks of the dangerous currents that sometimes run beneath the river’s calm surface.
“We have had an unusual high number of drownings, even amongst skilled swimmers, trained athletes and, regrettably, sometimes people that just don’t recognize the danger of what appears to be a tranquil river setting, not knowing what the undercurrents are,” MCFRS Chief Steve Lohr said in the video above.
Last year, three swimmers drowned in the Potomac River Gorge, the narrow and at times deadly section of the river that includes Great Falls.
In one case, friends said the swimmer sitting in the water near the shore when he decided to wade farther into the river. He was then swept downriver. It took three days for a joint MCFRS and Fairfax County search operation to recover the swimmer’s body.
In July, an expert kayaker who friends described as one of the country’s best, drowned after being knocked out of her kayak.
“What I would ask as your fire chief is to not ignore the dangers associated with that,” Lohr said.
Last May, MCFRS did a press event that included a demonstration of how its boat teams navigate the river in emergency operations.
Just a day before, a team of MCFRS personnel was training on the river as a group of four swimmers jumped in for a dip. The crew was able to rescue one swimmer who had become trapped by powerful currents under the water that often aren’t visible from the surface.
Swimming is not permitted in the Potomac River Gorge.
Video via Montgomery Community Media, photo via Flickr user cb0w
