The department is holding an open house on Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the fire station at 50 Springfield St. and Hryniewicz Park in Three Rivers.
PALMER - The Three Rivers Fire Department averages three to five river rescues a year, so Three Rivers Fire Chief Scott A. Turner is looking to improve the way his firefighters respond to them.
Turner, who took over as chief in January, said he will send four or five firefighters to training later this month in the Berkshires specifically for swift water rescues. They will learn how to “read” the river, and methods to pull people out.
There are about two miles of river in Three Rivers - the village’s name comes from the three rivers that converge in the center of town - the Quaboag, Ware and Chicopee rivers.
Turner said the department lacks formal swift water rescue training. Most of the river rescues occur in spring, when water is running at high levels. The firefighters are trained in rope rescues, the method they often use when canoeists and rafters have trouble in the water. Often, problems happen near the bridge, where the Ware and Quaboag rivers converge to form the Chicopee River. If boaters can wade to the bridge abutment, firefighters will climb down to rescue them.
“The roughest part of the river is right there, in the Main Street area,” Turner said.
The most recent rescue happened on June 23, and involved a father and son who were out on the river on a raft and got hung up on a rock. The father broke his paddle trying to free the canoe. They were not injured. The man did not want to get into the river by himself, so he called 911 on his cell phone. Firefighters waded into the river for the rescue and were attached to ropes that were held by firefighters on the shore. In addition to Three Rivers, fire departments from Palmer and Bondsville also responded.
Turner also is looking into buying a Zodiac inflatable raft for water rescues, and hopes to have one by the year’s end. A model that holds four people retails for approximately $7,000. The additional training and raft will come in handy when dealing with injured people in the river, he said. Three Rivers is the only fire department in town that does not have a boat.
Turner, who is the only full-time employee of the 33-member department, said he wants to eventually send more firefighters to the training. The first group will be sent according to availability and physical ability.
Before he became chief, he worked for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, in the forestry division. Turner fought wildfires out west, including in California, Washington, Colorado and Montana.
The department is holding an open house on Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the fire station at 50 Springfield St. and Hryniewicz Park; there will activities for children, including face painting, fire gear, finger printing with the Palmer police, raffles and more.
“Come celebrate with us by bringing back the tradition of joining the community and the Fire Department together as a family,” the advertisement reads.