Homeless encampment water rescue protocol with recent rescue

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A person and a dog are safe thanks to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.

Around 1:20 a.m. Monday, crews responded to E. Platte Ave. and Hathaway Dr. According to CSFD, the water was rushing near a homeless camp off B Street. The rescue lasted about two hours.

Thankfully, the person and the dog won't seriously injured.

"This morning Fountain Creek just north of Colorado Springs was flowing at about 600 cubic feet per second," Colorado Springs Heavy Rescue Program Lieutenant Fred Salazar said. "Down towards Fountain about 10 minutes later it was flowing at about 2600 cubic feet per second. So it doubles in a short amount of time."

CSFD said fire departments and water rescue teams make an effort to visit known homeless encampnets ahead of heavy rain to alert those living there to move to higher ground.

"It's good practice as an unhoused person in Colorado to be aware of your weather at all times," Stratmoor Hills Fire Chief Shawn P. Bittle said. "Be sure to set your tents up on higher ground in less flood plain higher ground away from streams."

Colorado Springs Water Rescue said its partners tries to visit known flood-prone areas ahead of storms to notify possible homeless encampments and get a good visual of the area.

"People take shelter under the bridges to get away from the rain and our drainages here in the city catch a lot of things, whether it's a shopping cart, a tire, trees, branches," Salazar said. "Then they go underneath the bridges, and it's a really bad place because if you get stuck, you pretty much stay there and can't get yourself out. It's not a good place to be and it usually has a poor outcome."

Colorado Springs Water Rescue also said this year they've seen more rain earlier in the season than normal, creating more rescues than they normally see in years past.

"It takes six inches of water to move a vehicle," Salazar said. "So if it can move a vehicle it takes less to move a person. We've had a recent run of folks being stuck on little islands or sandbars in the middle of a creek much like what happened last night."