Emergency Workers Practice Water Rescue On Skiatook Lake

Green Country rescuers got a little wet Wednesday to make sure they're ready whenever they're needed.

The Tulsa fire department and Oklahoma Task Force one, an urban search and rescue team, teamed up to practice rescues in swift water situations.

Just a few weeks ago, the teams were put on alert for dangerous flooding. So today, they set up real-life scenarios in Skiatook Lake so they could practice using their boats and other equipment.

"At this point we're practicing picking people out of the water that have been washed away into the water, Tulsa Fire Captain RB Ellis said. "The other scenarios that we're going to practice are going to be where someone is stranded on top of a car or something like that. We're going to pull up alongside of them and pull them into the car or into the boat."

Next month, they'll take their training to the river to get familiar with using the equipment when there is a current.