Above / The DuPage River is high and mighty today. For many safety reasons, stay off it.
At approximately 4PM on Tuesday afternoon (June 16, 15), Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received a 911 call from two citizens reporting three individuals had flipped out of a raft in the DuPage River.
PSAP immediately dispatched a Special Rescue Response consisting of two engines, a squad, two medic units, two shift commanders and the water rescue team. The shift commander was the first vehicle on the scene at 4:17PM reporting two individuals had removed themselves from the water with one individual located in a tree, secure and not in immediate danger.
Crews established a downstream safety consisting of swift water technicians serving as safety swimmers. The victim was rescued utilizing a rescue boat positioned in the water and tethered to a rope system.
The 19-year-old male was removed from the tree and safely moved to the shore at 5:25PM, 15 minutes after the boat was deployed. Three individuals were evaluated on the scene and did not require transport to a hospital.
There were no reported injuries to firefighters. The Naperville Fire Department was assisted by Lisle Woodridge, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove and Aurora water rescue teams as part of the specialized rescue response. Wheaton, Lombard, Winfield and Darien Woodridge Fire Departments provided coverage to outlying Naperville Fire Stations.
Submitted by Amy Scheller- FO, MPSA, EMTP, Bureau Chief of EMS, Naperville Fire Department
