Following the tragic death of a father and son in the Arrowrock Reservoir in March, volunteers in Boise County are fundraising for a local diving rescue team.
Boise County’s recreational waterways are a huge draw in the summer, with upwards of a million visitors, but the local community is small and relies on Ada County for diving search and rescue efforts.
Braden Campbell is one of the four members of Boise County’s new team of volunteer divers. He is also the Deputy Coroner for Boise County and volunteered after a car crashed into the reservoir.
“I unfortunately have to respond to these incidents in one way or another and they continue to have an impact, especially in cases like this when a child is involved," he said. “We knew that the vehicle and the family was there, we just couldn't get to them, and it was a very painstaking three hours to have to wait for the other team to come up.”
He says in those moments, hours can feel like days. But he saw then the need for the county to have its own response team to intervene rapidly during rescue operations.
“And if not in a rescue manner to be there to recover and give closure to families,” Campbell added.
According to the fundraising campaign site, first responders have a very limited window to intervene after traumatic accidents. Past this "golden hour" of survival, victims' chances of surviving decline dramatically. This initiative wants to make sure rescuers have the tools they need to help.
The fundraising goal of $50,000 would keep the team of four volunteers operational for four to five years, Campbell said, and would cover the cost of equipment and maintenance, but also certifications.
“It's very, very specialized training. It takes a lot of hours,” Campbell said. “We want to ensure that we're keeping our team updated on those skills and keeping them safe.
Campbell said they are close to reaching their goal and the GoFundMe campaign is going well. Since launching in the team has received about $35,000 in private and peer-to-peer donations and received a $17,000 Gary Sinise Grant for cold water dry suits and training.
