The
Dewittville Volunteer Fire Department in Dewittville, New York has operated a
Hovertechnics Hoverguard 700 rescue hovercraft since 2002. Its performance as a
water and ice rescue vehicle has been so successful that it earned the
department the American Red Cross Fire Rescue Award.
The recipients
of the 2016 award were Dewittville Fire Chief Burl Swanson and
first responder Furlow Francis. They were honored for a daring rescue operation
they conducted when two ice fishermen fell through the ice on Chautauqua Lake. The
fishermen were saved after Swanson and Francis deployed their hovercraft and brought
the men to shore. The rescue was hailed by the Red Cross as one of the “most amazing ice rescue operations” ever to
take place on Chautauqua Lake.”
Here, Swanson
and Francis, with the two rescued ice fishermen safely on board, head for shore
in “Hover 221”, their Hovertechnics
rescue hovercraft …
Today,
Swanson recalls the rescue, “We’ve made
many ice water rescues, most of them with our Hoverguard 700. The most dramatic
one was last March when we were able to rescue two ice fishermen from
about 400 yards offshore on extremely bad ice. Without any doubt these two
gentlemen would have perished without the capability of our Hover 221 to get to
them in a timely manner and deliver them to the waiting EMS on the shore.”
Two area fire departments operate airboats, but the
Dewittville Fire Department relies on their hovercraft for ice and water rescues. Chief Swanson says, “The hovercraft floats on air above the ice
and is lighter than the airboat, which runs the risk of breaking up the ice due
to the difference in weight. Our
department uses Hover 221 primarily for ice water rescues as it is really at home
on ice. Although there are two airboats on our lake, our hovercraft gives us
the ability to stay above the ice and make a rescue without having to break
through the ice to get to the victim.”
In the
photo below, Dewittville’s Hoverguard 700 operates at mass injury aircraft
drill with a Coast Guard helicopter. Burl Swanson explains, “We helped transfer 55 victims from the crash
site to shore to be sent to the hospital. We had 325 firefighters and 50 Coast
Guard personnel. Hover 221 made a great showing!” ...
Why did
the Dewittville Fire Department decide to buy a Hovertechnics hovercraft? “We had operated a small hovercraft for 10
years and decided to get a better unit,” Swanson says. “I found the Hovertechnics website and
we purchased our Hoverguard 700 in 2002. This unit gave us the platform that we
needed to perform ice water rescues on all types of ice conditions.”
Below, the
Dewittville crew appears with their rescue hovercraft this February at the
Winter Festival Polar Plunge in Mayville, New York. Those participating could
safely enjoy their event with Hover 221
standing guard …
Chief Swanson concludes, “We
are very pleased with our Hoverguard 700 and would recommend it to any Fire
Department - especially one that borders a lake or body of water.”
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