MORE Heroism

Spring is the time of year when the Connecticut River loves to overflow its banks. Of course, low-lying areas flood as they have for years and years. In some rural areas that means the local authorities need to shut down a few roads for a time. No biggie. It happens every year and for the most part the areas affected are farmlands.

What also happens every year, is some doofus drives past the sawhorses, orange signs and blinking yellow lights and gets his SUV or pickup stuck.

This year is no different.

The news yesterday morning had a bit about a guy doing just that. His truck stalled in no more than 30 inches of water. Of course the news mentioned the "daring" rescue by the local firemen. Thank God for firemen and women! I have the utmost respect for the incredibly difficult job they do but you had to have seen the footage they showed on TV. The adjective I would have selected would not have been daring.

The water was as still as a mill pond. Its probably 1/4 mile from the main body of the river, so there's no surge of water that I could see. The truck wasn't even covered above the door handles yet the idiot was perched on the roof as if awaiting a helicopter rescue. Apparently, a dramatic air rescue was not in the cards. Instead, three firemen rowed out in some sort of wide, shallow canoe and saved him from......well....having to wade through what was probably really chilly water.