A busy week for the Okotoks Fire Department as they responded to 35 calls, including the water rescue at the Sheep River.

The young boy and municipal enforcement officers involved are all ok after the daring rescue last week where the boy was clinging to a rock in the middle of the river.

Ken Thevenot, Okotoks Fire Chief, commends the municipal enforcement officers for their brave efforts and says he considers them heroes for saving the boy's life.

He explains the power of the river is not to be underestimated.

"That river's very deceiving, even the members that went in had a really, really hard time maintaining balance and just manoeuvring through the fast flowing water with all their gear on. That's hard enough to do that and managing to get to the young boy and taking him to the shoreline to get him to safety."

The department and municipal enforcement go through training on using throw bags and water safety techniques.

Thevenot says it's hard to predict where the river's going to have different levels and flow rates.

"In this particular area it was pretty fast flowing, you get your sweepers and strainers, the trees above and below the waterlines, but you also get different levels along the shorelines, you get different levels in the centre of the river as well and different flows the way you have pinch points and different volumes of water in those certain areas."

Other calls the fire department responded to this past week includes six motor vehicle collisions, ten alarm system activations, three odour investigations, five medical responses, two mutual aid calls, one rescue, two water rescues, four grass fires, one gas leak, and one fuel spill.

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