When emergency rescue crews respond to a call for help, it is especially important that they respond quickly to incidents on bodies of water.
The Wonder Lake Fire Department and Rescue Department know that well, because they are often the first to respond to incidents on Wonder Lake and elsewhere around the county.
The department now has the means to speed up their response time–a new Polaris SLT-780 personal water craft. The craft will help the department in its future water-rescue operations.
According to department spokesman Nancy Lesko, the craft was donated by Polaris. Two years ago, a Wonder Lake man on a Jet Ski chased down a runaway boat that had two passengers aboard, one of them a small child.
Lesko said the incident was witnessed by Terry Stinger, who is a regional representative for Polaris. Stinger was subsequently approached by Todd Rishling, the department’s rescue coordinator, and agreed to work with Polaris to make the donation.
The water craft, which seats three, will greatly speed up rescue operations, Lesko said. “We’ll be able to get out quickly and drop a buoy while the divers are suiting up,” she said.
It can also be used to ferry a diver from shore in less time that it takes to launch the department’s boat.
