One Firefighter Lives to Tell the Story of a Daring Swift Water Rescue

Ordinary Hero, Extraordinary God

By: Randy McKenzie

It was the coldest day of the year that winter when my beeper alerted me to an emergency call at 2:30 am. Jumping in Old Betsy, my faithful Dodge 250, her Caterpillar battery turned the Cummins diesel engine over right away, no matter that the thermometer was at 20-below zero and dropping.

Turning on the radio the dispatcher directed me to Prospect Creek, a wide body of water that flowed rapidly down the mountain. The water varied from 5-12 feet deep and was moving swiftly. A passerby had seen a Nissan pickup plow over the bridge, crash into a solid rock wall, then settle nose first into the icy current.

Old Betsy navigated the snowy serpentine rural mountain road we call the Blue Slide and within 10-minutes I was on the scene, along with our fire chief, Jim Inman. Jim and I were old veterans in our volunteer fire department and proud that our station rated as one of the top stations in Montana. Together we had fought transformer fires, rail car disasters, structure fires, wildland fires, and hazmat emergencies.

Without wasting a minute, we donned our bunker gear, plucked up the Jaws of Life, saws, crow bars, and other tools. We dove into the water where we could see the driver, a 21-year old man, was trapped in his seat with icy water all the way up to within one-inch of his nose. The man was conscious, his head held securely in the grasp of a teenager who first witnessed the truck diving into the water. The teenager was lying on the roof of the pickup, leaning into the broken windshield, holding the man's head above the rising current until help arrived.

We began cutting the vehicle apart to get the man out. So much adrenaline was pumping into our veins that although our bodies had become drenched with icy water and were numb, we didn't even realize we were numb until we got out of the water. It took us about 90-minutes to cut the victim free with the jaws of life and a crow bar, because it was dark and we were taking turns cutting underneath the water. Finally the driver was free and we back-boarded him right in the water and moved him to shore where the ambulance crew rushed him to the hospital. Although we never saw this man again or heard from him, he survived, and we hope that he never drinks and drives again.

The ambulance left and everyone began shouting for Jim and I to remove our soaked bunker gear. We stripped down to our underwear in the sub-zero chill and put our extra clothes on. Fellow firefighters had arrived on the scene and covered us with blankets. Jim and I each jumped in our pickups and returned home. Duh! No one thought to give medical attention to the rescuers!

I arrived home, chilled to the bone and shaking uncontrollably, as soon as the heat from my vehicle began to thaw out my frozen limbs. After about 15-minutes of sitting by the blazing wood stove, I realized too late that I was thawing out way too fast. Going into convulsions, my whole body was jerking with muscle spasms. My son Jeff, who was just a young boy, heard the commotion in the living room and asked with concern, "Dad, what's wrong?" I replied, "Son, I just went for a swim." Jeff didn't believe me, at first, until he touched my frigid skin. All of the sudden, Jeff took off running through the house, gathering up every single blanket he could carry.

Piling all the blankets on top of my body where I was lying on the sofa, Jeff then threw his own little body on top of the mound. He said to me, "It will be okay, Dad, I'll warm you up."

I was a little late getting up for work that morning. I was a logger and it was with a very achy body that I climbed the mountain to cut down trees that day. To this day, many years later, I cannot swim in cold water without my body going into spasms. If the water is warm enough I can tolerate a little bathing, but ever since that swift water rescue it seems my body cannot tolerate water submersion for more than a few minutes.

Would I do it again, if I had to? Yes… in a heartbeat. When a life is at stake you don't think, your training springs you to action automatically and you get the job done. Usually firefighters selflessly put their lives on the line every day without recognition and many times without thanks, but this time the whole state heard about the swift water rescue.

Several months after the water rescue, Jim and I were summoned to Helena to receive the Governor's Medal of Valor (news release here). My son, Larry, now has this medal displayed at his home in Portland.

Rescue workers are often unsung, ordinary heroes who have an extraordinary God, and I'm glad our God sends angels to rescue the rescuers, because some of us get brain-freeze and forget that we need help ourselves! If you know a firefighter, paramedic, ambulance driver, police officer, why not write them a note today and tells them thanks – they will appreciate you!

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In our "All-in-One" Life Story Book Kit there is a section called "365 Life Story Interview Prompts" and that is what my wife, Susan McKenzie, is using in this story here. In fact, she's writing it for me while I stand here next to her desk, telling her bits and pieces about my life. She makes it real easy for me to share my stories! If you want to learn how she can help you share your stories, whether you want a do-it-yourself kit or a hands-off-let-her-do-it-all system, we got what you need at Team Family Online!

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Tagged as: Deborah White Dove, Real People Real Stories