20-Foot Boat Capsized, Guilford Firefighters Rescued 4 Passengers

GUILFORD, CT —Guilford firefighters responded to a marine rescue Thursday where a boat had capsized and a number of people who'd been on aboard were in the water.

"At approximately 1:15 pm on November 10, Guilford Professional Firefighters were dispatched for a marine rescue in the area of Chimney Corner Reef. The initial dispatch was for a capsized vessel with multiple people in the water.

Guilford units responded on Marine 10 to the area and found a 20-foot vessel that was capsized with 4 people in the water. One person suffered a head injury, and all victims were suffering from hypothermia.

As Marine 10 arrived, one firefighter donned a cold water exposure suit and jumped in the water to grab one of the victims that floated away and was semi responsive. All other victims were rescued and transported back to the town dock, where our medic units took over patient care. One person was transported to the hospital and treated, and the other three patients were released.

Response time to the incident was less than 10 mins. Even though boating season is over, Guilford Fire Department keeps Marine 10 manned all year round for incidents like this.

Our career department, manned with a minimum of 10 firefighters per shift, helps keep our response times down. This is another example of how important response times to emergencies are."