STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Fire and rescue teams across metro Atlanta have already trained and are prepared for heavy rain and flooding ahead of Hurricane Helene.
In DeKalb County, the fire and rescue department has a squad of specially-trained firefighters who can rescue people from fast-moving waters. It’s called the SWIFT water rescue team, and on any given day, at least 12 people can perform this specialized type of rescue.
“These individuals will go out and we have different equipment they can use via boat and PFDs (personal flotation devices) to be able to get into the water to rescue people," DeKalb Fire Rescue Captain Jaeson Daniels said.
DeKalb County Fire and Rescue officials said that crews at Fire Station 24 are trained to do this type of rescue. When they come in for their shifts, they grab one of these SWIFT water rescue bags and take it out.
“It's called a SWIFT water rescue bag, in which they have a personal floatation device inside that is for them only. They also have a wet and dry suit as well as several other components to help them get a rescue of help somebody get out of the water," Daniels said.
There are four boats devoted to assisting with SWIFT water rescues in DeKalb County and an inflatable boat on one of the rigs.
DeKalb Fire and Rescue said they aren’t doing anything special for the upcoming severe weather, but they are warning people to be cautious so that they don’t need to be rescued.
“We advise people not to go through puddles if they cannot see the road. If you can’t see that there’s a road up under that…don’t go over that," Daniels said.