MARQUETTE -- Radios dispatch Marquette fire rescue to Picnic Rocks; someone's drowning. As scary and as real as it was, it's not. It's the first time lifeguards participated in the drill.
Christina Moffett, Head Lifeguard, says originally they signaled the victims to get out of the water and called for backup.
"It's really a big motivator for the lifeguards. They used their skills and show the city that we are here and we know what we are doing. We are ready to go," said Moffett.
Then Marquette fire rescue arrived at the scene and helped lifeguards rescue the person.
Incident Coordinator, Steve Hodgins, says it's an opportunity to practice.
"There's a lot of things that can go wrong, so it's good to work those out now. Any time there's a rescue or anything that needs to be done of this sort, time is everything," said Hodgins.
The Marquette Coast Guard, Sheriffs Department, and the Police department also participated in the drill. The drill tests each agency's ability to work together with different rescue strategies in a timely manner.
In the second scenario, the Coast Guard, Sheriff's Department, and the Police Dive Team searched the shore for two missing people.
John Waldo with Marquette Police says it was great to be able to work with other agencies as a team.
"It makes us just keep track of our basic rules of safety and use our compass to get out to that position where our witness saw the person last. Actually follow through the training we were given and maintain that discipline," said Waldo.
Crews rescued a total of four victims in both situations. It took almost an hour and a half to complete all the drills, but officials say it was successful.
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