Redmond firefighters assisted the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Marine Rescue Dive Unit in rescuing a pair of young males after one of their kayaks overturned on the Sammamish River near Marymoor Park on Monday night. After the kayak flipped, they dog paddled to a nearby island and awaited assistance.
Michael Hilley of the Redmond Fire Department (RFD) said the KCSO unit received the call at about 5:19 p.m. and arrived on scene to retrieve the stranded kayakers.
“They were pretty cold but not hypothermic,” said Hilley, who noted that medics evaluated them and they didn’t need to be hospitalized. The kayakers were wearing street clothes and life preservers. According to the King County telemetered temperature gauge at the 116th Bridge on the Sammamish River last night, records listed the water temperature at about 42 F.
“Both subjects have been rescued and returned safely to shore. Warming them up now,” reads the KCSO unit’s Facebook page. According to the RFD, the kayakers couldn’t cross the slough that was flowing with a decent current.
“RFD provided the command and support structure for KCSO to put a boat in the water, as well as providing downstream safety in case of problems during the rescue. KCSO ferried the patients one at a time across to safety,” according to RFD.
A commenter on the KCSO page noted, “What would we all do without you men? Thank you for saving these two ‘invincible’ young men!”
Hilley praised the KCSO unit: “It’s been very handy to have them on the lake like that.”
Hilley said that rescuers on the way to the scene were initially told the kayakers could have been caught in swift-moving water. Fire units from Fall City and Kirkland were also called to the scene.
RFD sent medic, aid and fire units to the scene. The fire unit carries rescue items like throw bags with rope, paddle boards and more. Hilley said about a half dozen Redmond firefighters are trained in water rescue and they practice during the summer with personnel from the Kirkland and Bothell departments.
RFD hasn’t been involved in a water rescue for about three or four years, Hilley said.
“Remember to always dress for the weather AND the water!” reads the Redmond Police Department Twitter page.
