GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A person was rescued from the Grand River Thursday afternoon, the Grand Rapids Fire Department confirmed to News 8.
Around 3 p.m., crews responded to a report of a female who had gone into the river, GRFD Battalion Chief Matt Keusch told News 8. It happened at Veterans Memorial Bridge, located on N. Park Street near Monroe Avenue. The bridge, which connects Grand Rapids and Walker, was closed to traffic as crews responded.
“Right away, we put two rescuers over the side of the bridge,” Keusch said.
The rescuers assessed the female and offered medical attention. They strapped her into a rescue basket and then got her into the water rescue boat, Keusch explained.
“So we had her up off the water — the ice, that is — loaded on our boat and medical care within less than 25 minutes,” he said.
He told News 8 that the female was alert. It’s not clear how she went into the water in the first place, according to Keusch.
Besides GRFD, Keusch said the Walker Fire Department, Grand Rapids Police Department, Kent County Sheriff’s Office and Life EMS responded.
“We all joined together. We worked well together,” he said, crediting Walker for using its drone. “All hands worked together fast, steady, and did a great job today to get our patient out.”
The battalion chief warned the public of the danger of ice.
“Anytime there’s fast-moving water — especially right now with ice on the river, people want to go out on the ice,” he said. “Do not go on that ice. Any river, stream that has moving water, the ice is so dangerous right now.”
