Last week, two people kayaking on the St. Joseph River in Niles found out that while the river is a beautiful natural resource, it can also be dangerous.

The kayakers, in an attempt to navigate past construction on the Main Street Bridge, got a little too close to a tree that had fallen in the water. Their kayaks made contact with the tree and overturned, putting the paddlers in a very dangerous situation.

They clung onto the tree as one of them called 911 using a waterproof cellular phone.

The incident highlights at least two important things.

The first is that people need to take proper safety precautions when they are out on the water. Neither one of the kayakers were wearing life jackets — a big risk. Suppose one of them had hit their head on the tree and became unconscious. A life jacket would have helped them stay afloat in such a situation.

Life jackets are a must for anyone enjoying time on the river.

Also, only experienced paddlers should attempt to get around the bridge construction site. The river is narrow at that point, causing water to flow more quickly than in other places. There are also many obstructions, both above and below water, that could lead to trouble.

It isn’t a place for those that don’t know what they are doing.

The second thing the incident highlights is that Niles is fortunate to have great firefighters trained to do a lot more than just put out fires.

They were on the scene within a few minutes and were able to get to the stranded kayakers by use of a boat.

Firefighters spend many hours training for situations like that one, and many other emergencies that require rescue.

Their efforts were certainly appreciated by the kayakers that day.

It’s good to know we have people like that on standby to protect us and our loved ones.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.