SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, June 2, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- There are a few messages to take away from Sunday evening's swift-water rescue in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
"First of all, this is a watershed. Everybody: We're not supposed to get in the water," said Kelly Bird, Unified Fire spokesman, talking to reporters after the successful rescue of a man caught on a rock in the water.
"It's restricted. It's not permitted to get into the water here. That's the first message that I think was important."
The second message is about spring runoff.
"This was a strong, fit individual who probably thought they were a really good swimmer, and it took them away. And there was nothing they could do about it," Bird said.
"So the message is: Don't get in the water. It's that simple."
The emergency call for help came to dispatch at about 5 p.m. Sunday.
A man had entered a rushing stream of water, fueled by water from melting snow from the mountains.
"The individual had been swept away by the current and was stuck on a rock," Bird said. "Luckily, the individual did get to a spot where they were able to stay on a rock, and so we could provide an imminent rescue.
"This very well could have turned into a recovery incident, though, with the nature of the water right now, how cold it is, how fast it's moving."
Crews made it to the scene in time.
"We had to dispatch our heavy rescue teams to set up a rope rescue system, and they set that up. We put some secondary individuals downstream with a safety net, in case something went wrong, and the individual slipped off, captured with the net, and they effected an effective rescue using a ladder truck.
"They lowered our rescuer down to the river, got the individual into a harness and were able to lift them out, bring them to shore, where they underwent a medical check."
The man was in good shape for someone plunged into icy water and carried at least 50 feet before he was able to climb onto the rock."
Bird said if the man had traveled further, it would have increased his chances of serious injuries, possibly including head injuries.
"We're just really glad this outcome turned out as positively as it did."
Gephardt Daily video by multimedia journalist Samuel Price
