St. Louis County Rescue Squad Trains Through Big Waves In Ship Canal

DULUTH, Minn. – Training was at an extreme for the St. Louis County Rescue Squad Wednesday in the Duluth Ship Canal.

The waves were fierce, creating perfect conditions for the rescue squad crews to take out four boats and practice their swift-water rescue skills.

At one point, their small Zodiac boat overturned in the big waves, but Capt. Rick Slatten said it was not a big deal.  He said crews train for that type of situation.

A nearby crew was there to help in this case and the boat eventually flipped back over.

The Duluth Coast Guard was also out training.

Slatten said it’s best to train in 120-percent conditions like in the canal during bad weather so they won’t be surprised when the real emergency goes down.