The Clackamas print., June 07, 2017, Page 3, Image 3

Lifeguards preach water safety
CLACKAMAS COLLEGE WRESTLER IS AMONG THOSE WHO TRIED TO SAVE 19-YEAR OLD VICTIM
BY DOUG FRY
photo by Collin Berend
For m any O regonians, w hen sum m er
comes around, it means getting a group
of friends and heading down to the river.
Cooling o ff in your favorite sw im m ing
hole can seem like a harmless fun tim e,
but at any given m om ent th in gs can
change. W ater safety is a concern for
many people in Clackamas County. Every
year, as the weather heats up, we hear
about a drowning due to not taking the
proper precautions before getting in the
water.
O n M ay 23, at H igh Rocks Park in
G lad sto n e, 1 9 -y ear-o ld Said O sm an
jum ped into the w ater and struggled
before submerging without resurfacing.
Clackamas Community College freshman
wrestler David Campbell was at the river
“ I w ould tell them to be
really careful; you never
kn o w when you can g o
under.”
- D avid Campbell
when Osman had jumped in the water.
“When he was yelling, someone jumped
in to help, he didn’t make it very far,” said
Campbell. “ The guy that was drowning,
we never saw his head pop back up after
the bridge. A fter the guy jum ped in to
save the guy that was drowning, he was
struggling. I jumped to help save h im .”
C am p b ell, w ho is o rigin ally fro m
California, was at High Rocks for his first
time when he had witnessed a drowning
and helped pull another bystander out
of the watet.
“ I would ju st tell th em to be really
careful^ you never know when you can
go under,” said Campbell. “ If you do end
up jum ping off, you shoyld jump in and
immediately get off. It’s dangerous, very
dangerous.”
Field Training Officer Leah Gordon, with
AMR River Rescue, knows that the river
is a great place to be during the summer,
but can make a turn for the worst without
warning.
“ Medical issues happen and we never
know w hen they’re going to happen,”
said Gordon. “ Wear a life jacket that is
Coast Guard approved.”
In our area, some of the most dangerous
swimming holes are lifeguarded, but that
does not keep swimmers out of harm ’ s
way. A t High Rocks Park, lifeguards are
on duty seven days a week, from Memorial
Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
“ Som e basic w ater s a fe ty tips are:
w earing a life jack et in open w ater,
always swim with a buddy so you have
accountability, if you’re in or near water
that is lifeguarded check in with them ,
drink Water, don’t use something that is
going to alter you and swim, ” said Gordon.
A big m istake that m any swimmers
make is thinking that they are a strong
enough swimmer to not need a life jacket.
When adding in drinking and other mind
altering substances, things can escalate
to dangerous scenarios quickly.
“ Be aware o f the crowd around you.
Young people can get rdwdy over the
sum m er,” said Gordon.
Lt. Steve Hoffeditz, Public Information
Officer for the Clackamas Fire District #1,
warned swimmers and floaters about the
changing conditions this summer. After
the wet winter we had, the rivers can look
completely different this year.
“ The rivers are extrem ely h igh , our
river crews have been on the watep all
season long, there are new snagged trees
that have been floated down river,” said
Hoffeditz. “ What you rafted last year can
look totally different this year.”
A big thing that Hoffeditz has seen in
our area is m any swimmers get in the
water in an attempt to cross the river. This
is a problem because when swimmers hit
a strong current, they struggle and try to
fight the water.
“ If som ebody is g ettin g tired arid
they’re out in an area where they’re not
near the bank and they don’t have any
floatation device,' that’s where they end
up drowning,” said Hoffeditz.
One of our dangers in this area is the
m isleadirig temperature change. On a
hot day, jumping into cold water can be
a very refreshing activity, but often times
the temperature change can cause cold
jshock and muscles to seize up.
When you decide to spend the day on
the river, make sure to be smart and aware
o f yo.ur changing surroundings.
photo by poug Fry
! Clackamas Print JUNE 7,2017 theclackamasprintccM^S