The City of Billings said in a news release that on Sunday around 7:45 p.m. the Billings Fire Department rescued a man stranded under the Dick Johnson Bridge on the Yellowstone River.
The initial reports stated a man and woman were stranded, but the woman was able to swim to shore.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office located the man sitting on a fallen tree trunk near the bridge’s middle pillar. Using a rope, they lowered a life vest to him.
The Billings Fire Department deployed their drone, which gave rescuers the opportunity to evaluate the situation and create a plan.
The remaining daylight hours allowed the crew to use rescue watercraft and a sled for the operation. The original plan included two rescue watercraft, but one encountered propeller issues.
With two crew members on board, the remaining rescue watercraft approached the man, one firefighter climbed onto the tree trunk, sat next to the man and instructed him on how they would carry out the rescue.
Once the watercraft aligned with the tree trunk, the firefighter and the man grabbed the sled, climbed on, and they were safely taken back to shore.
American Medical Response was standing by and evaluated the man.
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The Billings Fire Department reminds everyone about a few summer water recreation safety tips:
· Always wear a life jacket no matter how confident you are in your swimming skills.
· Stay within designated areas that are marked for swimming.
· Know your limits, don’t do things that are beyond your physical abilities.
· The strength of a river can be easily underestimated.
The Yellowstone River in currently flowing around 5,600 cubic feet per second, which is equivalent to more than 41,000 gallons of water rushing by every second.
We would like to thank the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and AMR for their assistance and support.
