Firefighter Paramedic Capt. Jason Weese and FireMedic Seniors Fred Rosser and Matthew Burton train each week for what to do when they have to rescue someone from the swift-moving waters of the Chattahoochee River.
They try to make sure they are familiar with the conditions they could face on the river, especially when water from Lake Lanier is released through Buford Dam, causing the current to quickly pick up.
But they had to put those skills to the test, and their lives on the line, last year when they rescued a mother and daughter from the river.
“Fortunately for us, the department allows us to go out and train once a week,” Weese said. “Whoever is on shift on Mondays that’s on the swiftwater team, we’re allowed to go out and train, so we train on the Chattahoochee just about every Monday, so we’re familiar with the water and familiar with the speed.
“But, obviously when you’re dealing with a combative victim and her daughter, it changes the game. So with the training that we’re allowed by the department, that really helped when you get in a situation like this.”
Weese, Rosser and Burton received the Gwinnett Chamber’s Gold Medal of Valor, the highest award the chamber bestows to a public safety officer, during the annual Valor Awards breakfast at the Gas South Convention Center on Thursday.
The rescue that earned the trio of fire department employees the top honor occurred last May.
A mother and a daughter had been out on the river, just south of the State Route 20 crossing, for a family fishing trip when the Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from Lake Lanier, through Buford Dam, into the river.
The Corps of Engineers and Gwinnett fire officials have long warned people to check the dam’s release schedule and stay off the river when water is released. That’s because the river’s water level quickly rises and it current…
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