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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Fresno canals span implicit 700 miles passim the city, astir parts 10 feet deep.
While it seems calm from above, immoderate currents tin tally up to 10 mph.
As temperatures soar this week, galore unhoused individuals question alleviation successful the canals.
“That is not the spot to leap in, the h2o is ace dangerous, there's precise small accidental of survival,” said Fresno Fire Training Capt. Shane Brown.
The Fresno City Fire Department has received astir 30 canal rescue calls this twelvemonth alone.
“A batch of the radical that are experiencing that are suffering from intelligence health, cause and intoxicant maltreatment and thing similar that is going to greatly summation the accidental that you person nary survivability successful a swift h2o environment,” Capt. Brown said.
The h2o is besides colder than radical think.
“As the hypothermia, the overexertion, the panic each benignant of combined together, a idiosyncratic rapidly gets overwhelmed,” said Brown.
To guarantee they are successful tip-top shape, the department’s h2o squad trains each 8 weeks oregon 72 hours of grooming a year.
“Our extremity is ever to beryllium connected country successful 4 minutes oregon less,” Brown said.
Fresno Fire Captain and coordinator of the h2o rescue team, James Perkins, says adjacent the cogwheel they usage is top-notch.
“We're 1 of the lone possibly 2 successful the full federation that usage what we telephone ‘surface-supplied dive.’”
This instrumentality allows them to person an endless proviso of air, connection with the radical connected top, and an anchor constituent truthful they don’t get swept away.
“Our lines here, this 1 is astir is 200 feet long, truthful we tin spell 200 feet that's going down and out,” said Jamen Elliot, Lead Dive Instructor and Firefighter astatine the Fresno Fire Department.
When needing assistance successful these situations, Fresno Fire asks the nationalist to telephone 911 with an close determination and statement of the victim.
