CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- St. Charles firefighters were involved an unusual “rescue” on Thursday.
After a recent storm, a tree had washed into the Fox River and got hung-up in the dam for about three weeks.
The St. Charles Fire Department does not like to leave things like that in the dam, because more stuff tends to get stuck, said Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet.
“What we don’t want is an extensive amount of debris on the dam to impede the water flow,” he said, “we’ve had boats, docks, trees, you name it, it eventually washes down the river.”
So, Lt. Dave Chmelar waded out into the current in a swift water rescue suit - a dry suit - on top of the dam and attached a cable to the tree.
“The importance of footing can’t be overstated, the water pushing against him," he said.
Chmelar was attached to a safety line manned from shore.
“The first consideration for an operation like this is safety. The boil below the dam presents a significant hazard.”
Once the cable was attached, a winch on a utility truck was used to get the tree out of the river.
The Chief said there’s another tree that will have to be removed from the dam in the near future, as well as trees that were hung-up at the base of a railroad bridge.