By Staff
We often hear that police, firefighters, paramedics and other rescue personnel are the day-to-day unsung heroes of our society. We hear it time and time again, and each time it is said, it is true. Police officers facing down desperate criminals, firefighters charging into burning buildings and paramedics fighting to keep a person alive are all examples of the true heroes that walk among us.
Public safety officials are tasked to go into those places that would freeze the average person with fear. And they themselves are not immune to this fear, but they have been trained to face it. Coupled with the training on their equipment and the training to work as a team makes them not only heroes – they are trained professionals.
On Saturday, unfortunately, one of these professionals was less than professional.
Employees from this newspaper, myself included, entered a raft in the 'Anything That Floats' race, a much anticipated event in the annual Riverfest in Niles.
We had a great time floating down the river, lobbing water balloons at the other rafters and generally entertaining the audience lining the shore of the river.
Caught up in our revelry, we floated past the dock at the end of the designated race course. We attempted to bring ourselves in, but the increasing current and the fact that we only had one paddle left us unable to do so.
An individual on a jet ski – we did not get his name, but we do know that he was part of an area law enforcement agency – responded to our predicament. However, instead of immediately aiding us, he chose to coarsely lecture us for not recognizing our situation and steering into the dock. To make matters worse, he felt it necessary to inform us that we were in danger of going over the dam upstream, scaring the two children onboard.
An angry war of words broke out between ourselves and our would-be rescuer, all while we were floating further down stream. After a few moments of this, he finally tried to pull us in. Unable to do so, he motored back downstream, presumably to call for assistance.
Boats manned by members of the Niles City Police Department and the Buchanan Fire Department, as well as Niles City Fire Department chief Larry Lamb, arrived shortly afterward and returned us and our raft safely to shore.
To be fair, managing large public festivals can be difficult and stressful for public safety officers. What's more, the event itself likely contributed to the situation. Next year, stringing up some barrier ropes at the end of the course should be considered, and allowing children onboard the rafts may need to be looked at with a more critical eye.
Furthermore, our actions probably did not help the situation either. There are two truths about people in need of aid: they usually do not realize the trouble they are in, and they do stupid things – and unfortunately, we were guilty of both.
However, all of these things go to the heart of the matter – public safetly officials are trained to handle just these situations, and they are trained to do so in a professional manner. The ones who ultimately rescued us performed professionally, and we are greatful for their help.
As for the individual on the jet ski, we do not know what was on his mind that afternoon on the river. Perhaps the hectic day was getting to him. Perhaps he is a part-time or auxiliary member of the agency he represented, and therefore not as accustomed to dealing with the day-to-day stresses of the job.
Whatever his reasons, his actions were inexcusable. He should have well known that, in an event that includes the category 'Rowdiest Raft,' some of the participants may get a little rowdy. He also should not have been needed to be told – by the people he was trying to rescue – to save the lecture until we were back on shore.
Fortunately, nobody got hurt in the incident, but things could have also gone bad very quickly. Lifesaving requires a cool head in the face of potential danger. Therefore, those who cannot keep their cool should leave it to the professionals.