The Cooper Landing Emergency Services department is celebrating a donation that will allow it to purchase new water rescue equipment. The equipment is funded through a $4,500 donation from the Seward Community Foundation.
The department is staffed mostly by volunteers and funded through community grants and donations. Because of its nonprofit status, CLES has often struggled with the costs of upgraded equipment.
According to a press release from the department, CLES responded to 12 water rescues this summer on the Kenai River and in Kenai Lake. They accounted for almost 20% of calls during the summer months. With this new equipment, the statement says, CLES will be able to respond more quickly and safely in situations like those.
“With this equipment, rescuers can respond more quickly to patients, decrease future water related fatalities and injuries, and keep our responders safe as well," the statement reads.
CLES also plans to use the equipment in winter, in situations where someone has fallen through ice.
