Video: OR Fire Boat Sinks During Training Exercise

Jan. 14, 2021

Three firefighters aboard a Salem Fire Department response boat were able to safely make it to shore after the vessel capsized and sank in the Willamette River.

By Jim Ryan

Source oregonlive.com

A Salem, WA, Fire Department response boat sank in the Willamette River during a training exercise Monday.

Authorities are slated to recover a Salem Fire Department boat that sunk in the Willamette River earlier this week.

Officials said the Salem Fire Response Boat sunk during a boat operator training exercise Monday afternoon. The three firefighters aboard were wearing life jackets and made it to shore on their own.

No one was hurt, and Salem officials said Tuesday that the involved firefighters were doing well.

They said the incident remains under investigation and that salvage and recovery efforts were scheduled to start this week.

Officials have not said why the boat capsized. Video footage captured by a bystander shows the boat sinking into the water and overturning. One person can be seen on top of the overturned boat.

Salem officials said the city’s fire department can still use a reserve boat to respond to any water rescues or river emergencies.

___

Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.