The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) announced the addition of two Sea-Doo watercraft to its Marine Patrol and Swift Water Rescue units Oct. 9 on Facebook.
“A big thank you to the Washington State Parks Department for awarding us the grant that made this possible,” the LCSO stated. “These new Sea-Doos will enhance our ability to perform marine patrols, water rescues, and emergency flood responses throughout Lewis County’s lakes and rivers.”
The LCSO added that the grant-funded watercraft will allow its deputies to be “better equipped than ever” when it comes to keeping its citizens safe on county waters.
Lewis County is home to a number of bodies of water, including Lake Mayfield, Riffe Lake, Chehalis River, Cowlitz River, Newaukum River and others.
In addition to its new watercraft, the sheriff’s office has one 20-foot lake vessel and another 21-foot lake vessel that are primarily used to patrol Lake Mayfield and Riffe Lake.
“Since 1996, the marine unit has conducted over 5000 written safety inspections, over 4400 visual inspections, and investigated 48 boating accidents,” the sheriff’s office states on its website.
The multi-agency Lewis County Technical Rescue Team, on the other hand, is composed of roughly 30 members from the sheriff’s office, Chehalis Fire Department, Lewis County Fire District 6, Lewis County Fire District 15 and Lewis County Fire District 2.
According to the sheriff’s office website, “the team is responsible for swiftwater operations, water rescues, and high and low angle rope rescue. The technical rescue team's most common mission is water rescue operations during flood emergencies.”
Other tools used by the rescue team include inflatable kayaks and inflatable boats.
