Inland Spill Response: Communications is key. It was 11:30 pm, on a moonless night and the temperature was hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The river was lit up with an array of floodlights from shore, mixed with the not-so-bright navigation lights from the boats. Our spill response team was split between three boats assisting in a salvage operation on a river channel. The web of stabilizati...
Inland Spill Response: WRI Environmental Fastwater spill response , river spill response and inland oil spill response training are our speciality at WRI Environmental. WRI has comprehensive experience in every aspect of inland spill response. From pre-planning, collecting data and creating Geographic Response Plans -to coordinating multi-agency spill response training and fastwater oil spill r...
Inland Spill Response Inland oil spill response often involves moving water and presents a unique set of challenges for responders. WRI offers state of the art and innovative inland oil spill response training in our Swiftwater Spill Response Technician courses. Responder safety and managing risk during fastwater spill response are our top priority at WRI. Safety officers must be well versed in...
At WRI Environmental we specialize in fastwater spill response and inland spill response training. Last Christmas, I was put on standby for an inland oil spill response and spent over an hour collecting the right personal gear I'd need to be outside on a river in windy 10 degree weather. I was reminded that safely responding to a river emergency or spill in cold weather requires a little more p...
Case Study: Graves Creek, MT Class V-V+ June 7, 2012 Two friends, Joe and Sam, left Missoula at 0400 the morning of the 7th to begin the drive up to Graves Creek. They decided that the drive would take about 4 hours, placing them at the put-in by 0800. Joe, who had been down Graves Creek once before, said that even though the section they would be paddling was only 1 mile l...
By Frank Preston If you live in Missoula long enough, you stop listening to the weather report this time of year. The predictions of 12-24 inches in the mountains almost always disappoint with a third that much. You figure out what the weather is really going to do, and you rely on your own cloud-reading. Despite WRI celebrating a week of staff birthdays, I don’t know if we are ready to talk ...
As an avid skier, I have watched the transformation of the heads in lift lines go from day glow head bands and mohawks, to wool beanies, to what we see today--helmets. It makes sense. The speed and the likelihood of falling are high. Why not protect our noggins. This same transformation has been seen with many sports--motorcycles, biking, and climbing to name a few. Standard issue for kayakers,...
Case Study #1 Month: Mid July Time: Midafternoon A commercial solo raft on the Rollercoaster section of the Alberton Gorge was flipped at the rock/hydraulic in the middle of the rapid. A customer sitting in the front was knocked backwards and struck her head on either the rock or oar frame, it was unknown which. The guide was unable to get the customers back in the boat – but was able to get ...
John Amtmann, Ed.D., Professor, Applied Health Science, Montana Tech The phrase “use it or lose it” is never more appropriate then in January when it comes to cardiovascular conditioning after taking time off of training for the Christmas/New Year holidays. It’s also applicable to river folks during the off-season: don’t wait until the spring to think about conditioning for spring run-o...
Swift water poses many dangers to the rescuer. It is a dynamic environment, and one small mistake or misjudgment can snowball into catastrophe. In past years, one third of drowning victims in the United States were would-be rescuers. Many of these victims either lacked proper training or equipment. It is paramount, then, for rescue teams to not only purchase the proper equipment, but also to tr...
“Whether you are a river-rookie or an experienced boater, WRI tailors their classes to what you need to learn in a fun and challenging environment. Their scenario based teaching approach creates an electric learning atmosphere where you feel like you are in actual river rescue situations. I would recommend them to anybody!”
