Cowabunga Bay used as Henderson rescue team’s practice grounds

Captain Trenton Beal directs his team of Station 82 firefighters during swift water rescue training at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. The station purchased a new raft that will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Firefighters from Station 82 maneuver a new raft for swift water rescue training at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. It will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Firefighter Tim McKeever Junior shows his rescue swim vest during swift water rescue training at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. Station 82 recently purchased a new raft that will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. It allows the teams to be much more flexible to move and make contact with a victim. Before they stretched a ladder over the water to grab victims. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Firefighter Tim McKeever Junior, from left, "victim" Firefighter Ian Bradley, and Engineer Kevin Flynn, return the raft to shore during swift water rescue training at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. The raft will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. It allows the teams to be much more flexible to move and make contact with a victim. Before they stretched a ladder over the water to grab victims. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Engineer Kevin Flynn, right, and Firefighter Tim McKeever Junior, center, rescue "victim" Firefighter Ian Bradley during swift water rescue training with a new raft at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. The raft will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. It allows the teams to be much more flexible to move and make contact with a victim. Before they stretched a ladder over the water to grab victims. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Firefighters from Station 82 maneuver a new raft for swift water rescue training at Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. It will be used to rescue people trapped in the water in flood control basins and different washes scattered throughout Henderson. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

The Henderson Fire Department’s technical team practiced rescues at Cowabunga Bay, using the water park’s wave pool to simulate the choppy waters they sometimes face on the job.

The exercise Oct. 17 came after the department’s recent purchase of a $5,000 water raft that will allow them it to more easily access people stranded in high or fast-moving water. The technical team is housed at Station 82.

“When we get the rains, especially in August, the flood channels get filled up with water and there’s potential to get people trapped in there,” said technical rescue captain Trenton Beal, a Boulder City resident. “We’ve done that a couple of times over the last couple of years … where people have been trapped … this gives us another option to go out rescue.” Southern Nevada’s flood season runs from July through September.

On Oct. 17, the team of six worked together through a ropes system, guiding the raft up and down the wave pool. The set-up stretched from one end of the pool, where waves begin, to the other end, where they stop.

“It’s a faster, safer response. And it’s much more effective,” Deputy Chief Tim McKeever said of the new raft. “There will be a minimum of two people in the boat for rescues. The other members of the team will be the ones manning rope and tether lines to either move the boat upstream or downstream.”

The team communicated through whistles and hand and paddle signals, a method extremely important during a rescue, McKeever said.

“In the event of a flood, time is of the essence,” he said. “It’s so important to have the commands. When the wave pool was on, it was hard to hear — same goes for an actual flooding event — (so) the signals back to the control lines on the side are very important.”

The team has trained at Cowabunga Bay for the past few years. The wave pool’s currents are similar to those in natural floods, said Cowabunga Bay general manager Marc Glissman.

The technical team honored Cowabunga Bay with a plaque following the training.

Contact Mia Sims at msims@reviewjournal.com. Follow @miasims___ on Twitter.