Humboldt’s waterways will be a bit safer this summer. Nearly a year after its suspension due to either lack of funds or lack of swimmers or some combination of both, Humboldt Bay Fire’s water rescue program, starting today, is once again ready for all sorts of treacherous wetness. 

“That means rescue boards, wetsuits, drysuits and all of personal protection equipment back on the rigs,” said Nathan Baxley, HBF Captain, who has been with the program since its inception six years ago and is excited to have it up and running again. 

Of course, a water rescue program needs swimmers. So to prepare for its reintroduction, a handful of HBF employees, as well as a couple of representatives from Hoopa Fire, have spent the last three days training in Humboldt Bay for their rescue swimmer certifications. That entails a lot of time in wetsuits in the water, a situation that Baxley relishes.

“I could think of worse things to do at work,” Baxley joked. 

Baxley estimates that in the course of the year HBF averages around a dozen calls for service where rescue swimmers could be utilized — everything from kayakers stuck in the mud to potential drowning victims to bridge jumpers. 

A few pics from trainings earlier this week below.