Wardens try out new jet skis in practice scenario

Parks Canada wardens took to the waters of the Athabasca River just south of the townsite this week to test out two new Kawasaki jet ski rescue water craft response vessels.

The wardens responded to a simulated scenario on Sept. 2 in which four novice rafters who were said to be “boozing and boating” without lifejackets tipped their boat and floated down the river, said Joe Storms, lead water rescue specialist. Wooden dummies represented three of the boaters, while a warden perched on a rock to play the fourth.

Though a jet ski could have been used to collect the stranded warden, the rescuers took advantage of practicing more rescue techniques and swam out to save her. “If we weren’t able to get a boat to her, we would have to take a swimmer out there,” Storms said.

Timing is essential in real-life water rescue situations, as the temperature of a glacial-fed river like the Athabasca ranges from about 4 to 8 degrees Celsius, and the first stages of hypothermia can begin in about 10 minutes. It’s expected that because jet skis are versatile and can be deployed in remote locations, that rescue response times will improve.

Ideally, Parks would like to rescue the boaters in a scenario like this in an hour or less, but delays in wardens receiving the reports can lengthen the process.

The team was sent out around noon, and had collected the dummies as well as the real-life “victim” within a few hours using both the new RWCs and swim-rescue techniques.

The jet skis were purchased to replace an aging jet boat, and selected because they present a number of advantages, said Sean Nardella, spokesman for Parks Canada. First, the ease of deployment, speed and maneuverability of jet skis is superior to jet boats, which are much less agile in the shallow waters where they would likely be used in the park.

“With a jet boat you’re skittish about where you can go,” Storms said. “With bigger machines there’s a lot more maneuvering around you have to do.”

While a new jet boat would run from $30,000 to $40,000, a single jet ski only costs about $10,000, so Parks was able to purchase two new jet skis for less than the price of one new jet boat. Having two watercraft also allows rescuers to work in tandem or respond to two separate incidences simultaneously.

Also, the jet skis have low emissions and a relatively quiet engine, and therefore leave a smaller environmental footprint on the river. 

Public safety specialist Steve Blake added the jet skis improve a rescuer’s line of sight, because they are down at the water’s level, and they allow for tasks that would be cumbersome in a jet boat. The six current recognized jet boat operators with Parks will be trained to use the jet skis.