The Arlington Fire Department's Swift Water Dive Team put in extra time Thursday preparing for the worst as heavy rains continued to fall throughout the day.
"We’ll do some training, we’ll pull out the ropes, we’ll pull out the boats," said Lt. Kyle Burns. "We’ll just take that extra time just so we’re ready to go no matter what the call might be."
High water over low roads is the team’s biggest concern during heavy rainstorms.
"High water is always a danger for anybody, and anytime they put themselves in that situation, it puts them at risk and then it places us in the situation where we have to get in there to intervene," said Burns.
The team has four rescue boats, including an inflatable craft that arrived just last month, designed to help easily pull people from rushing water.
"We can rescue people over the sides, you can pull people through the bottom," said firefighter and team member Ryan Carr.
Team members have some simple advice for drivers.
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"The best thing to do is to just stay away, you know, 'turn around, don’t drown' is always the motto. If you can’t see the ground, don’t drive into it,
Burns said.
