I would like to give a shout-out to the Cayuga County emergency response team for an incident occurring on Owasco Lake May 1. Shortly after 7 a.m. that morning, I placed a call to 911 for what looked to be an abandoned small craft drifting north on the lake. We frequently see solo fishermen in kayak-like boats where I spotted this empty boat adrift. My concern was that someone may have fallen overboard in the cold water.
The emergency response to my call was truly impressive. In less than five minutes the fire department, an ambulance and the sheriff's office were all in my driveway. The different units quickly and professionally assessed the situation and determined it was most likely non-critical. To confirm, water rescue quickly launched a dinghy from the shore to better investigate the empty boat. The boat was inspected, and towed to shore without incident.
My shout-out is for the way the different units worked seamlessly and expeditiously together across responsibility boundaries as one well-coordinated team. Sadly, in today's world, we often see multi-unit/agency efforts drop the ball across boundaries, resulting in botched results and finger-pointing. This particular case was a shining example of how situations like this should work.
I think those of us in Cayuga Country can feel assured that we are in good hands when it comes to emergency response situations.
David Kearney lives in Fleming.
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