Wilson County EMA, fire departments hold swift water rescue training
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — We've seen our fair share of rain this spring, which is why Wilson County rescue teams are making sure they're prepared for swift water emergencies.
On Wednesday, multiple agencies held a joint training, and News 2 was there.
'We've got Wilson County EMA, Lebanon Fire Department, Mt. Juliet Fire Department all here,' Maegan Eldridge, PIO and administrative for Wilson County EMA, said.
Wednesday morning, multiple crews in Wilson County were training for real-world water rescue scenarios.
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'They are doing anything from boat flipping, to rescuing victims to self-rescue to rescuing with and without a rope bag and its multi-agency because when it comes to an emergency we want to work with all of our agencies to work quickly and effectively to be able to respond as quick as possible,' Eldridge said.
During the springtime, Wilson County EMA said they see more swift water rescue calls.
'A lot of times we get flash floods where cars drive into flooded waterways,' Colton Young, Lieutenant with Wilson County EMA said.
Lieutenant Young said a newer tool, WEMA, has been used for people who may be stuck in water on the roadways. 'We can quickly inflate these and deploy in ten minutes to rescue someone.'
However, during the summer, the concern can be on Middle Tennessee's lakes and rivers.
'Wilson County has about 58 square miles of lake,' Young said.
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So far this year, six deaths have been reported on Tennessee waterways.
This Memorial Day weekend, Wilson County EMA said, thankfully, there were no reports of water rescues. However, this is the message they continue to send out.
'A life jacket is going to save your life, and if you don't have it on, there is nothing that's going to happen. Life jackets are extremely important. Anyone going out on the water, please use a jacket,' Eldridge said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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