County Rescue Crew Members Risk Their Lives to Save Others’

For two hours, in pelting rains and gusting winds, the rescue crew from Orange County Fire Station No. 48 anxiously scanned the churning, muddy creek waters beneath Barranca Parkway for any sign of life--or death.

The rescue crew from Seal Beach was at the ready Monday night to dive into the rushing waters of the San Diego Creek Channel after a report of two screaming youngsters being swept up in the torrent. But the report turned out to be unfounded, a prank perhaps, and the crew packed up with relief tinged by frustration.

It was an all-too-familiar outcome. Some officials estimate that 80% to 90% of the calls for the firefighters and lifeguards who specialize in harrowing, labor-intensive waterway rescues turn out to be bogus.

For instance, during the bruising Pacific storm that ravaged Orange County on Dec. 6, the Orange County Fire Authority swift-water rescue team based in Irvine was dispatched to 48 calls of people caught up in rushing water. Only one turned out to be a legitimate report of person in danger, according to Battalion Chief Ron Blaul.

“It’s the cost of doing business,” said Blaul, whose team was also on hand Monday for the San Diego Creek Channel rescue effort. “These calls are a recipe for disaster for the rescuers too. They’re not one of my favorite calls.”

The hazards are numerous: The rescuers stand on jagged, slippery slopes and, in some instances, must plunge into water moving as 30 mph or faster that is carrying debris and harmful contaminants from sewage and runoff. Overhead, low-flying helicopters navigate wind and rain while dodging power poles and street lights.

On Monday night, one member of Station No. 48 crew had to shout for a replacement at the waterline when his hands grew so cold he could not pull on gloves or feel the rope in his hands. Others stood on the overpass just feet away from evening traffic that was driving too fast for the dim, rain-slicked roadway.

“They’re here risking their lives,” Fire Authority Capt. Scott Brown shouted Monday night above the sound of rain and overhead rotors. “We put ourselves in harm’s way because we have to take every call seriously, and we always will. But it is frustrating.”

Beyond the danger, the false calls swallow up resources--far more than just about any other type of report, Blaul said. Firefighters race to overpasses and bridges above the waterway from the point of the reported sighting and along the miles that stretch down-current, he said.

Scores of firefighters then stand by, perhaps an hour or two, as a comprehensive effort is made to check the entire length of the creek or flood channel and verify the witness account. Often, the witness account begins to wilt, but there is no time for that type of scrutiny on the front end of the possible crisis, Blaul said.

“When it happens, you have to go, and go now,” Blaul said. “And then you can’t pack up and leave even if you think it might be a false alarm. Safety, thoroughness and commitment to the people we serve requires you to walk up that river on both sides from end to end to be sure.”

The fear is that a false alarm may someday tie up rescue crews when they are needed elsewhere, Brown said. “The potential is there,” Brown said. “Luckily, this is an area where there are more resources becoming available.”

Swift-water teams are popping up at agencies throughout the county, including the squads created recently by the Orange Fire Department. The Orange County Fire Authority has five teams--stationed in Buena Park, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Placentia and Seal Beach--who work with the teams run by the Anaheim Fire Department, Laguna Beach lifeguards, the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station firefighters and other agencies.

“We need them all,” said a weather-weary Blaul. “There’s more water all the time, at least lately.”