205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 07/01/2022 - On Thursday 6/30/22 at 1:23 pm, Kittitas County's dispatch center, Kittcom, received a report that a group of people was stranded with a submerged boat in the cold waters of Lake Cle Elum in upper Kittitas County. Minutes later, one of the subjects in the water called 911 to report that two adults, a teenager and a three-year-old all had lifejackets—but their boat was submerged and they were getting cold. The call was transferred to Sheriff's deputies so they could talk directly to the subjects, who reported they were about a mile from shore.
Marine-rescue-trained deputies launched the Sheriff's Office Upper County Marine Patrol vessel, accompanied by personnel from Kittitas County Fire Protection District #6. When they reached the sunken boat, the three adults were pulled from the water, while the toddler was picked up from where he was resting on the still-floating end of their submerged vessel. All four were ferried to shore, dried off and checked out by KCFPD #6 medics. No injuries were reported, and the Marine Patrol vessel went back out and towed the submerged boat to shore. We’re happy this crisis had such a positive outcome—but most of the credit goes to the lifejackets all four people were wearing. It takes minutes to pull together even a very efficient water rescue; in this case, about 30 minutes from the time the call was received until all four people were in our boat. But in very cold water like the recreational waters of Kittitas County, it can be a matter of only seconds before even proficient and experienced swimmers are disabled and drowned. The Sheriff's Office and all our first-responder partners ask that you boat carefully this weekend; protect yourself and your family by taking a minute to put on an appropriate life jacket. It really could save your life.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Chris Whitsettchristopher.whitsett@co.kittitas.wa.us509-962-7615