As you may or may not know the Bitterroot river is one of the most dangerous in the state.
On average the Bitterroot claims one to two lives annually. There have been several boating accidents already this spring. Fortunately there have been no serious injuries.
There is concern that more accidents may occur with the increased number of people recreating on the river.
Local outfitter Jenny West of Go West Outfitters has organized a local one-day swift water rescue awareness class May 1,2 in Hamilton. The course is being offered through the White Water Rescue Institute (whitewaterrescue.com) and taught by local and instructor from WRI, Alan Burgmuller.
The one day course is open to the public at a cost of $100. The class will run 8 hours from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 pm at Ravalli County Search and Rescue building, 2029 N. 1st St., Hamilton.
The session begins in the classroom, then moves to a pre-designated location on the Bitterroot River. There will be a brief review of hydrology of the Bitterroot River followed by trip pre-planning, hand and whistle signals; 3 basic rules of river rescue; reach, throw, row, go, basic rope rules; defensive swim, aggressive swim; strainers, strainer drill; entrapment, extraction techniques; shore based rescue- reach, throw bags; contact rescues — row, go, live bait; mechanical advantage-review of knots, anchors, vector pulls, Z-drag, tensioned diagonal and zip line.
Credit: Source link
