Olathe Fire Department prepares for potential flooding and water rescue missions

By Eric Graves

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    OLATHE, Kansas (KMBC) — Drying wet suits and life jackets are an obvious reminder of the busy week the Olathe Fire Department Water Rescue team has had.

Captain Robert Collins said they’ve been sent on 11 water rescues in the last week.

“Those have definitely come in handy, because we’ve been anywhere from waist deep to knee deep in this water,” Collins said.

Heavy rain and more flooding is expected Thursday night and into Friday, which means Collins and his team are preparing for more water rescues. Collins said a majority of the rescues involve cars stalled out in flood waters.

“People think they can just speed through it and get through it fast enough before their systems flood out, but it doesn’t take a lot for your system to get flooded out,” Collins said.

Any time you encounter a flooded roadway, Collins wants you to turn around and find an alternate route.

If you do find yourself in your stalled car in high waters, Collins said the first thing you should do is call 911. He does not want you to leave your car.

Collins said the water may not appear to be moving on the surface, but underneath it can be quick enough to pull you off your feet.

Flood waters can also uncover manholes, leading to a potentially deadly suction.

“Even if you are wearing a life jacket, that force pulling you down can be so strong that it wouldn’t matter anyway,” Collins said. “But, especially so if you don’t have a life jacket, because the water moving into the sewer system is going to be moving a lot faster than a water above, because that’s created to drain.”

When first responders rescue drivers from stranded cars, they walk in a pyramid formation and use a pole to scout the way in front of them.

“As we’re walking and the lead guy is scanning back and forth, what he’s looking for is any manholes that might have popped up create a drain or a siphon to pull any of us down,” Collins said.

The Olathe Fire Department’s Water Rescue team does have multiple boats available. Collins said those are only used in the event of the water being too high for first responders to safely navigate it on two feet.

The Kansas City Fire Department had to use an inflatable boat to rescue a woman clinging to a tree in flood waters on Monday.

Just earlier that day, 62-year-old Anupama Vaidya was killed by flash flood waters in Overland Park.

If you find yourself encountering rising waters near a river or creek, Collins said you need to get to the highest ground you can find immediately.

Flash flooding can send water rushing at you quickly.

“The narrower the banks are, the faster the water is going to move,” Collins said. “The wider it is, usually the slower the water is going to move.

If you are caught in a swelling creek, Collins said you need to watch out for any debris that could be coming your way.

“You could be dealing with a lot of hazardous materials, chemicals, different things that start to float from the water and out of the sewer system,” Collins said.

The most important thing Collins wants people caught in flood waters to do is get to a safe location and call 911.

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