BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Sergeant Rodney Jones with the Kern County Sheriff's Office said that while deputies can warn residents about the dangers of rivers and lakes, those warnings have limits.
"If they're in the proper safety gear - a helmet, a life-vest, and they can swim - I can't stop them from doing that."
Since the day after Memorial Day, the sheriff's office has recorded eight rescues and five recovered persons from the Lower and Upper Kern River.
A two-day training session at Pyles Boys Camp near Lake Ming gave volunteers hands-on practice in critical search and rescue tactics. Sergeant Tim Coughron said volunteers covered a wide range of techniques.
"Today for the river training, you're seeing a combination of a rescuer going into the water and grabbing a victim and moving them to the side, and we're also training to grabbing a victim and bringing them up into the air."
Kern County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Lori Meza said combining water and aerial support gives rescuers multiple vantage points to more precisely locate someone in danger.
"You know that seconds make the difference ...like I said...merging these skills from not only being able to hike to where the location is but also to be able to see where their location is..."
Meza said the goal is not only to save lives, but also to teach the public what signs to watch for when someone may be in danger.
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