Please give me advice (what do I do)

[pengman]

Guys I need your advice. I was listening to my pager earlier in the day, the call went out for a search of an 8 year old child that was playing in a creek that has gone missing. We have had strong storms this week and river levels are hogh with strong under currents. It turns out he has not been found and the search resumes this morning. This is my friends son that is missing. can i just turn up in my rescue truck to help in the search??? Please help...

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

No.

Go hold your friend's hand, stay by his side, pray with him and be a friend.

It's more important right now than being a whacker.

[pengman]

Thanks george, Your right It just makes me feel useless and I should have known the answer to the question I asked.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

I know it's hard, but you have to stay where you are.

I echo George's statement. If the agencies running the search request your FD for assistance, that's one thing. To show up unannounced and ready to go may interfere with their efforts.

[RspctFrmCalgary]

Our thoughts are with you and your friend, peng.

And I don't think whacker is the appropriate word to use in this case. Concerned friend/citizen wanting to help in a search for a missing child is not by any means whackerish Surely there was a way to get your point across without being so insulting, George. Although I'm the only one that seems to have been offended by your use of that word.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by RspctFrmCalgary
Our thoughts are with you and your friend, peng.

And I don't think whacker is the appropriate word to use in this case. Concerned friend/citizen wanting to help in a search for a missing child is not by any means whackerish Surely there was a way to get your point across without being so insulting, George. Although I'm the only one that seems to have been offended by your use of that word.

I didn't call him a whacker.

If he had taken his rescue truck and showed up at the scene of a call he was not requested to respond to and began to freelance...THAT would have made him a whacker. That was the scenario he presented.

[pengman]

Search Resumes For Boy In Soldier Creek
Swollen Creek Waters Sweep Two Kids Up

POSTED: 5:17 am CDT June 27, 2005
UPDATED: 10:12 am CDT June 27, 2005

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A search for a boy at Soldier Creek resumes Monday morning.

Two brothers ages, 6 and 8, were swept off in the creek just north of downtown Fort Dodge that they were playing in Sunday afternoon.

The creek is normally ankle deep, but parts of Fort Dodge received more than 8 inches of rain and the waterway was swollen.

Someone tried to throw the boys an inner tube, and the 6-year-old boy grabbed hold of it.

Jon Jenison, 8, went under the water, and remains missing.

Woody Wolfe, assistant fire chief for Fort Dodge, said he would not recommend anyone play in the swollen creeks or rivers. He said all the creeks are above flood stage and that they are just not a safe place to play.

Rescue crews lined the creek to the Des Moines River about a half-mile away.

The search was called off after sunset.


Thanks for your help. The kid still has not been found.

[superchef]

pengman

My thoughts and prayers are with you and the family of Jon Jenison that a miracle will find him alive.

cheffie

[Berks2Montco84]

One thing I might suggest, is to have your friend ask for search and rescue teams to be called out to help. This might have already been done, I don't know, but if not, then they'll be a big help.

I belong to a search team, the Greater Philadelphia SAR to be exact, and that's one of the problems that we always have. The local authorities search until they exhaust their limited resources, and then decide to call us in. It's probably a pride thing, who knows, but what I do know is that it's costing people's lives. By the time we're called out, they're already dead and it's gone from a missing person search to a cadaver search.

So, like I said, if the local PD is trying to do this all themselves, have your friend tell them to call in SAR teams. Just my 2 cents.....

Good luck with the search and you guys will be in my prayers. Keep us updated.

[RLFD14]

I don't think it is whackerish to either call ahead and check or show up and make your presence known to the IC structure. If they need you, they'll give you a job. If they don't need you, they'll say so and you can leave with a clear conscience. Having volunteers (civilian and otherwise) show up for this kind of call is the norm, so I am sure that ensuring you are working inside the system would be appreciated by those in charge. Someone in the IC structure should already be delegated to handling these queries so you don't disrupt operations.

Showing up and freelancing on your own outside the organized effort's control or awareness is whackerish, I agree. I'd ask the friend if he needs you hold his hand or if he'd rather you tried to join the search.

[pengman]

What a day it has been so far. I decided to stay home as some of you suggested. I have been talking to the parents of the boy that is missing. I have managed to get them to the acceptance stage and they both now know that the search is that of a body recovery divers tried to search under water today but the currents were too dangerous and that part had to be called off. the police have also brought in sniffer dogs in a bid to find the body of this child. I just hope that they find the body of their son so he can be laid to rest. I will keep you all informed.

[pengman]

Search for boy continues
Officials reclassify rescue mission as a ‘recovery’
By SARA KONRAD, Messenger Staff Writer

The search continued Monday for 8-year-old Jon Jenison, of Fort Dodge, who disappeared under water in Soldier Creek at Snell-Crawford Park Sunday afternoon.

Incident commander and Fort Dodge firefighter Ron Hedeen said the search resumed at 7 a.m. Monday after being suspended at about 9 Sunday night because of darkness. Hedeen said the search was scheduled to begin again at 7 a.m. this morning.

“The water is really bad,” said Hedeen, who classified the search as a “recovery” effort. “The crews will be here every day until dark all week, or as long as we have to be until we find him.”

Heavy rains Friday and Saturday nights caused rivers and streams to swell. Soldier Creek, normally a small stream, spilled over its banks, growing to become as much as 30 to 50 feet wide in places.

Jenison was at Snell-Crawford Park with family Sunday afternoon when he and his brother, Denver Denison, 10, started playing in a shallow part of Soldier Creek. A family member, who declined to be identified, said the family thought the boys were fine in the water, but Jon and Denver Denison were swept from that area by the current.

Shortly downstream, Kyle Winter, 15, and several of his friends were playing in the park when they saw the boys in the stream and threw them an inner tube. Winter said both boys grabbed hold of the inner tube, but he lost sight of them when they turned a curve in the creek.

A group of volleyball players further down the creek attempted to reach the boys but failed. Denver Denison was pulled from the water by a group of teenagers.

Rev. Tom Nyman, pastor at Berean Community Church, of which the family are members, is acting as a liaison between the family and rescue workers, relaying information about efforts and progress to the family.

Hedeen said the creek has been divided into three sections, much like it was Sunday, and firefighters and volunteers are walking the banks in search of the boy. They walked the length of the creek, from Snell-Crawford Park to the creek’s connection with the Des Moines River, three times Monday.

Fort Dodge firefighters were joined in their search Monday by firefighters from the Lohrville, Farnhamville, Manson and Rockwell City fire departments. Three rescue dogs were also brought in to help search the banks of the creek.

In addition, Hedeen said he had accepted help from a handful of volunteers Monday morning. Each volunteer was given instructions for how to avoid dangerous situations and firefighters were walking the areas with them to make sure everyone was safe.

At Snell-Crawford Park, members from the Central Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue team stood by ready to suit up. However, the strong currents in the swollen creek prohibited searching under water safely.

“Once the creek comes down a little, the water should calm down and then we can get in there to do a search,” said Curt Ruby, a member of the rescue team and sergeant with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.

“This isn’t going to help,” he said, as the rainfall came again, one of many times during the day.

Once the water does go down, searching the creek under water still won’t be an easy task, Ruby said. The water is murky and full of debris.

‘‘It will all be touch and feel,’’ he said.

Hedeen said members of the Central Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue Team tried to get out into the water, using harnesses and ropes, but the swiftness of the current forced them to stay within five or six feet of the bank. Hedeen said they were using poles to reach toward the middle of the creek.

“We want everybody out there searching with care,” Hedeen said of the rescue workers. “We don’t need another tragedy on top of this one. We’re doing what we can right now.”

Hedeen said crews had few options other than walking the banks and waiting for the water to recede.

“If we could get the weather to cooperate and the water to go down about two feet, we’d be in a lot better shape,” Hedeen said.

Messenger reporter John Molseed contributed to this report

Search for boy continues
Officials reclassify rescue mission as a ‘recovery’
By SARA KONRAD, Messenger Staff Writer

The search continued Monday for 8-year-old Jon Jenison, of Fort Dodge, who disappeared under water in Soldier Creek at Snell-Crawford Park Sunday afternoon.

Incident commander and Fort Dodge firefighter Ron Hedeen said the search resumed at 7 a.m. Monday after being suspended at about 9 Sunday night because of darkness. Hedeen said the search was scheduled to begin again at 7 a.m. this morning.

“The water is really bad,” said Hedeen, who classified the search as a “recovery” effort. “The crews will be here every day until dark all week, or as long as we have to be until we find him.”

Heavy rains Friday and Saturday nights caused rivers and streams to swell. Soldier Creek, normally a small stream, spilled over its banks, growing to become as much as 30 to 50 feet wide in places.

Jenison was at Snell-Crawford Park with family Sunday afternoon when he and his brother, Denver Denison, 10, started playing in a shallow part of Soldier Creek. A family member, who declined to be identified, said the family thought the boys were fine in the water, but Jon and Denver Denison were swept from that area by the current.

Shortly downstream, Kyle Winter, 15, and several of his friends were playing in the park when they saw the boys in the stream and threw them an inner tube. Winter said both boys grabbed hold of the inner tube, but he lost sight of them when they turned a curve in the creek.

A group of volleyball players further down the creek attempted to reach the boys but failed. Denver Denison was pulled from the water by a group of teenagers.

Rev. Tom Nyman, pastor at Berean Community Church, of which the family are members, is acting as a liaison between the family and rescue workers, relaying information about efforts and progress to the family.

Hedeen said the creek has been divided into three sections, much like it was Sunday, and firefighters and volunteers are walking the banks in search of the boy. They walked the length of the creek, from Snell-Crawford Park to the creek’s connection with the Des Moines River, three times Monday.

Fort Dodge firefighters were joined in their search Monday by firefighters from the Lohrville, Farnhamville, Manson and Rockwell City fire departments. Three rescue dogs were also brought in to help search the banks of the creek.

In addition, Hedeen said he had accepted help from a handful of volunteers Monday morning. Each volunteer was given instructions for how to avoid dangerous situations and firefighters were walking the areas with them to make sure everyone was safe.

At Snell-Crawford Park, members from the Central Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue team stood by ready to suit up. However, the strong currents in the swollen creek prohibited searching under water safely.

“Once the creek comes down a little, the water should calm down and then we can get in there to do a search,” said Curt Ruby, a member of the rescue team and sergeant with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.

“This isn’t going to help,” he said, as the rainfall came again, one of many times during the day.

Once the water does go down, searching the creek under water still won’t be an easy task, Ruby said. The water is murky and full of debris.

‘‘It will all be touch and feel,’’ he said.

Hedeen said members of the Central Iowa Underwater Search and Rescue Team tried to get out into the water, using harnesses and ropes, but the swiftness of the current forced them to stay within five or six feet of the bank. Hedeen said they were using poles to reach toward the middle of the creek.

“We want everybody out there searching with care,” Hedeen said of the rescue workers. “We don’t need another tragedy on top of this one. We’re doing what we can right now.”

Hedeen said crews had few options other than walking the banks and waiting for the water to recede.

“If we could get the weather to cooperate and the water to go down about two feet, we’d be in a lot better shape,” Hedeen said.

Messenger reporter John Molseed contributed to this report

[superchef]

thanks for the update pengman. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I hope they find his body soon so he can be laid to rest in peace. Stay safe everyone while you are out there searching.

[pengman]

I thought I would make another update as I guess it gives me something to do and think about. as of today (wednesday) the boy's body still has not been recovered. I'm not sure if it will, I have been told that at the bottom of the creek before it enters the des moines river there is some kind of system to cut up any big branches that travel downstream before entering the river. My wife works with a friend of the father. and she is blaming the childs mother for this tragic accident. and has been saying her friend (thae kids faher) wants to kill her. normally i would not take this kind of talk too serious thee childs mother left him for always beating the snot out of her it makes me worried.

[fireguy919]

Truely very sad. Stay strong brother we can tell how much you care. If you need anything let us know.

[superchef]

Originally posted by fireguy919
Truely very sad. Stay strong brother we can tell how much you care. If you need anything let us know.

ditto.

cheffie

[distchief60b]

Sad story... hang in there. We/they are all assuming the worst....but look at what happened recently out west with that boy scout that was missing for several days and found alive. Despite the fact that the outlook is grim here...we can only hope and pray for the best.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

[Berks2Montco84]

Originally posted by pengman
I thought I would make another update as I guess it gives me something to do and think about. as of today (wednesday) the boy's body still has not been recovered. I'm not sure if it will, I have been told that at the bottom of the creek before it enters the des moines river there is some kind of system to cut up any big branches that travel downstream before entering the river.

What kind of system are we talking about here? Makes me wonder about swimming in creeks and rivers now.....

Also, it's good to read they have a SAR team in there...at least one part of this country know how to do it right.

Good luck with all of this, and stay strong.

[CAPPYY]

Very sad. God bless all involved. Remember PENG,take care of yourself too while all this is going on.