Missoula City Fire Crews Rescue Man in Clark Fork River

At about 8:30 on Saturday night, 9-1-1 received a call that there was a man possibly drowning in the Clark Fork River, and Missoula City Fire crews responded.

Captain Chad Kidd described the rescue to KGVO News.

“On July 25^th at 20:30 hours the Missoula Fire Department responded to the Clark Fork River downstream of the Van Buren Footbridge for a report of a person who was drowning in the river needed rescue,” said Kidd. “Missoula Fire department immediately initiated a river rescue response which included personnel to launch rescue watercraft, a UTV for river access, two fire engines and a rescue truck.”

Kidd then described the rescue of the drowning man.

“MFD personnel arrived in the area of the last seen location and we were able to get visual on the victim floating downstream of the Van Buren Footbridge,” he said. “The first arriving engine crews were able to wade from shore and retrieve the victim from the river. The victim was conscious and doing well after he was transported to a waiting ambulance.”

Several times each year, city fire crews practice just such scenarios for river rescue.