It was a busy weekend for Snoqualmie Fire and Rescue.
Two people had to be pulled out of the Snoqualmie River in two days when they went in after their dogs.
The water is a lot colder than the air. These two people found that out the hard way at Sandy Cove Park.
Their dogs got swept away. They went in after the canines, and both people and dogs had to be rescued.
“Yeah, but we weren’t paying any attention but this wife,” said Thomas Samuelsen.
He saw it happen just before 9 a.m. Sunday. He was setting up for the annual Bondhead Endura, a motorcycle trail ride for old bikes and self-proclaimed old men.
“Doggone it,” he said. “It looked dangerous.”
The man’s wife was screaming. He and the dog had been playing with a ball. Then they were in the water.
“And then he couldn’t climb up because it’s straight up and really slippery,” said Samuelsen.
The Snoqualmie River swept them both away. Someone called for Snoqualmie Fire and Rescue.
“They had so many in boats, so many in other things, and people in wetsuits,” Samuelsen said.
Those firefighters came with something else, an inflatable kayak stored on top of their engine — the only department to do that in the state, they said.
It cut their rescue time to mere minutes.
“From getting here, finding the patient, assessing the situation, stabilizing the situation and getting the rescue underway, it took about 10 minutes,” said Snoqualmie firefighter Benjamin Parker.
It happened the day before when a woman went in after her dog. Cathy George, manager of the Carousel nearby, saw the big response then too.
“Oh, it’s incredible,” said George. “So they tended to the situation very quickly. And I came out afterwards, and they said they were successful, which is really nice.”
On the day of that rescue, Snoqualmie fire posted a video as a reminder of the river danger.
What he saw here has lingered for Samuelsen.
“I don’t know,” he said. “If I had a pet, I wouldn’t want them anywhere near that thing. It’s moving.”
The good news is everyone made it out alive.
The people and their dogs too.
But firefighters want to remind you to wear a personal flotation device whenever you are playing near the water.
That will almost always save you from what happened here this weekend.
Cox Media Group
