Vancouver firefighters rescued a man struggling to swim in the Columbia River near the Vancouver waterfront on Nov. 3, bringing him safely to shore before he was transported to a hospital.
Vancouver firefighters responded at 2:24 p.m. to a reported drowning near Waterfront Way, west of Esther Street, where Vancouver Police Department officers were already on scene. Firefighters spotted the man approximately 100 feet from shore, conscious and calling for help, according to a Vancouver Fire Department news release.
Two Vancouver Fire Department rescue swimmers entered the water. When they reached the man, he was about 20 feet from shore.
Portland Fire & Rescue crews aboard a rescue boat brought the man to a nearby dock, where he was transferred to an ambulance. American Medical Response paramedics, accompanied by Vancouver firefighters, transported him to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
