Two kayakers who had been missing on the Potomac River for about 30 hours were found alive late Thursday, Sept. 24. A Charles County volunteer fireboat crew spotted them waving from a duck blind on an island near Potomac Heights.
The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department’s Fireboat 8 was asked around 8:30 p.m. to help Fairfax County, Va., with its search for the pair, the department said. The kayakers had last been seen about 30 hours before Charles County’s marine units were called in.
The search
Fireboat 8 went out with a crew of five. They first searched the river south to the power lines, then turned north and concentrated on the Maryland shoreline.
As the boat neared Craney Island, just north of the Potomac Heights area, crew members saw two people frantically waving from a duck blind on the island.
The crew pulled up and brought both kayakers aboard, then checked them for injuries and other medical problems after their long time missing. Neither appeared to be seriously hurt or to need immediate treatment, the department said.
The crew then handed the kayakers off to Fairfax County Fireboat 420, which took them back to the Virginia shoreline where their trip had started. Fireboat 8 was back at its station around 1 a.m. Friday.
The department did not release the kayakers’ names, ages or hometowns, or say how they ended up on the island.
Marine units on call
The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department, based on Poorhouse Road near Indian Head, runs Fireboat 8. According to a fireboat registry, it’s a 29-foot response boat with twin 300-horsepower outboards and a fire pump. The department also has an airboat for shallow water.
The department said the rescue shows why Charles County’s volunteer fire and EMS companies keep specialized boats and trained crews ready. The county is surrounded by water, including the Potomac and Patuxent rivers and many creeks, and its marine units search for missing people, help boaters in trouble, respond to emergencies on and along the water, and back up neighboring jurisdictions when asked.
“Charles County’s marine resources are more than boats — they are lifesaving emergency response assets serving our citizens, our waterways, and our neighboring jurisdictions throughout the region,” the department said.
