Columbia firefighters train at Hinkson Creek as flooding on roads continue around the area
COLUMBIA MO. (KMIZ)
The Columbia Fire Department on Monday completed swift water rescue training at Hinkson Creek as flood waters continues to flow across low water crossings in Mid-Missouri.
Battalion Chief Dan Berlemann said with all of the rain around the area the past few days, it was a good opportunity for firefighters to get out and practice.
"It is important for us to be able to take advantage of the high water, whenever it is high so that we can actually get out there and train realistically," he said.
Usually the department will go to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in St. Louis in order to simulate the flood water scenario. The trainings come after overnight the department responded to two water rescues in the area after Columbia set a new daily rainfall record just shy of four inches.
Columbia Fire Chief Jeff Brian Schaeffer said when it comes to water rescues, most of the time they are avoidable.
"The majority of the time I have been exposed to it, it has been somebody who has been over confident and decides to drive into flooded water," he said.
He says the ground being very saturated right now makes it prone to flash flooding. When it comes to assessing if roadways need to be closed due to flooding, the Boone County Road and Bridge Department says the timing of floods makes it hard to close in enough time.
The department said most of the time, it receives calls from the Joint Communication Office and then dispatch a crew to assess whether or not a closure is needed. Sometimes it may take up to two hours for a crew to check it out, leaving and flooded roadway unblock until they arrive.
Greg Edington, the Director of the Boone County Roadway and Bridge Department, said it is important to be aware when driving in flooded conditions.
Edington noted most low-water crossings in the area have signage put up to warn drivers the roadway is prone to flooding. Additionally, he said another common thing the department deals with is drivers moving or bypassing the barriers.
"Pease do not go try to remove it and go through the flood. Once we put the barriers out across the road we have to constantly go to those areas and pull them back,” he said.
CFD officials also noted if you get stuck on a flooded roadway it could take the department anywhere from five-to-eight minutes to reach the scene.
Most area fire departments have been warning motorists the past several years to not drive through flooded roads with the phrase, “turn around, don’t drown.”
