The Worland Volunteer Fire Department mobilized to rescue a vehicle that had driven into the Bighorn River on Thursday night. Instead, they recovered a smartphone with its flashlight turned on.
It was an odd call for everyone from the responding agencies in Washakie County. Over a dozen people and one of the department’s ladder trucks rushed to the scene, only to discover the situation wasn’t as serious as they believed.
“We were impressed that it was still on,” said Worland Volunteer Fire Chief Chris Kocher. “I would have thought that it would have shorted out before we got there.”
Phoning It In
According to Kocher, the call came into the Washakie County Dispatch Center around 9:38 p.m. Thursday.
Two teenagers were walking along the Bighorn River between Big Horn Avenue and Culbertson Avenue when they spotted an unknown light in the water offshore.
“They spotted it near the boat launch between the two bridges,” he said. “They also saw two-wheel tracks leading into the water, and they were unsure exactly what it was.”
Ten personnel with the Worland Volunteer Fire Department, along with local law enforcement officers and EMS, responded to the scene. When they arrived, things didn’t add up.
“When we got on scene, we identified that (the water) wasn't deep enough for a vehicle,” Kocher said. “We sent a person in with a pike pole to try and identify what we had, and they were able to identify and locate what ended up being a cell phone with the flashlight on.”
The phone was handed over to the law enforcement officers, who are still investigating the incident. Kocher didn’t know if they’d managed to identify the phone’s owner.
You Never Know
Kocher said “odd calls” like this come in “every once in a while.” One that comes to mind is the greenhouse fire last October, when he had to coordinate the rescue of the 70-pound tortoise, who started the fire by knocking over a heat lamp, trapped inside.
Still, Kocher couldn’t recall a time when the inciting incident was a submerged smartphone. The investigation is ongoing, but Kocher doesn’t think the phone was dropped where it was recovered. Authorities didn't disclose what type of phone it was.
“I think possibly it might have come from upstream,” he said. “Someone with the Wyoming Sugar Company might have been checking the flumes and dropped it in the river, and it floated downstream."
The response to this incident might seem excessive in hindsight, but Kocher had high praise for everyone who responded to the incident. Every emergency call to the Washakie County Dispatch Center is taken seriously, and everyone who might be needed is mobilized.
Kocher extended that praise to the two teenagers who called it in. From his perspective, they did exactly what they should have done in those circumstances.
“They saw a light in the water, and they didn't know exactly what it was,” he said. “I certainly wouldn't want to see light in the water and not do what I could to possibly help someone. They did the exact right thing by calling 911.”
Ultimately, the careers of first responders are often filled with uncertainty. There’s no knowing what’s needed of them until they’re at the scene, whether it’s a submerged smartphone, a trapped tortoise, or something much more serious.
“You never know what you're going to get into,” he said. “You have to take everything as a true emergency, until you verify that it's not an emergency.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
