The Two Rivers Police and Fire Departments are working together to train for water rescues.
Police Chief Ben Meinnert explained on WOMT’s Be My Guest program that the fire department received a federal grant to acquire a jet ski that can be used for water rescues in Lake Michigan.
Meinnert says there have been incidents, including drownings, at Neshotah Beach in recent years.
“We needed some sort of rescue device,” he stated. “Especially with the Coast Guard no longer kind of being in the area.”
The US Coast Guard has scaled back its operations in Two Rivers, and while it can respond to incidents, it can take some time to arrive.
Neshotah Beach also has underwater shelves, which can make it tough to get a boat into the water.
Chief Meinnert noted, “We’ve had officers in the last couple of years that have had to drop all their gear and go out and do some dangerous swims to help save some people and we thought this is definitely the time to work with the fire department and get something together.”
After getting the jet ski, several firefighters and three Two Rivers Police Officers have trained together to create a trained team that can respond to water rescues.
