Water drills for firefighters

Klif Bullard leaned into the side of the boat as the two men entered the 90-degree turn. Roger Mertensmeyer jerked the throttle, and the spray from the sharp turn on the Missouri River felt warm.

An hour earlier, Bullard and Mertensmeyer, the two captains of the Southern Boone County Fire Protection District, had sat in plastic chairs in a makeshift classroom near the river. They listened to lead instructor Jim Lavalley talk about the L-turn, one of several high-speed maneuvers taught during a new boat rescue course at the MU Summer Fire School. They were among 21 Missouri firefighters from six fire departments who gathered last week in Jefferson City for the four days of training.

Thursday’s training focused on how to make quick turns to save struggling swimmers.

While the Southern Boone captains seemed to be having fun — Mertensmeyer couldn’t resist a whoop while executing a figure-eight turn — they admitted it was unlikely they’d have an opportunity to execute the advanced maneuvers. Bullard said the department’s 18-foot Jon Boat usually cruises between 7 and 15 mph on the Missouri River, speeds which are substantially slower than a high-throttle L-turn.

“Usually we’re picking up recreational boaters who are adrift,” Bullard said. “We calculate their location and how fast the water’s moving and make our way upstream at a controlled speed.”

Calls to the water are rare for Boone and Southern Boone firefighters. Bullard said he responded to six calls last year.

The Columbia Fire Department gets an average of 5 to 10 calls in a year, said Lt. Debbie Sorrell.

Still, the two captains wanted to prepare themselves for an unusual call.

“The boating season is coming up,” Bullard said. “Who knows what kind of accident could happen?”

State officials have been asking that question since the flash floods in 1993.

“The floods brought the whole concept of boat training into the state,” said Kevin Zumwalt, MU Extension special projects manager. “Since the flood was so long-term, and so many boats were used for evacuations, it was the first time that firefighters thought that we really ought to see what these boats’ capabilities are and get some proper training.”

The course tries to prepare students for extreme situations like the 1993 floods.

“We want them to test the limitations of their boats,” said Todd Ackerson, instructor and Kansas City Fire Department’s rescue divison chief. “They need to be prepared for a high-speed situation. The grading’s hard. They have to have these maneuvers down.”

Bullard and Mertensmeyer were trying.

With Mertensmeyer at the helm and Bullard seated in front of him, the boat bounced along at 75 percent full-throttleat about 26 mph.

“On the water, it feels a lot faster than a car,” Bullard said. “Boy, out here it’s a different ballgame.”

Bullard stood up and pointed straight ahead, his arm fully extended. Acting as spotter, he directed Mertensmeyer which way to turn.

“You see it?” he shouted back to Mertensmeyer, referring to a life jacket that had been thrown in the river to represent a drowning victim.

“I lost him,” Mertensmeyer answered. “No wait. I see him.”

“Right!” Bullard yelled as he swung his arm. He kneeled and pushed against the side of the boat. “Cut it!”

Mertensmeyer jerked the throttle back as he spun the wheel to the right.

The boat made a sharp turn. Bullard’s face was less than a foot from the water.

“Gun it!” he shouted.

Mertensmeyer pushed on the throttle as Bullard pulled himself up with a rope attached to the bow. Seconds later, Bullard shouted again, “Cut it!”

“Alright,” Bullard said. “You’re good. You see him? He’s on your left.”

The life jacket floated up to the side of the boat. Bullard pulled it out of the water.

“Perfect,” he said.

Instructor Ackerson stood up in his jet ski. He looked unimpressed.

“How fast was that?” Ackerson asked.

“About 75 percent,” Mertensmeyer said. “I mean, we can’t go much faster than that. The prop was coming out of the water.”

“Try 90,” Ackerson said.

“We’ll tip this thing at 90.”

“That’s okay,” Ackerson said before he sat down on his jet ski to watch the men do it again.