Sallal Grange to host river safety talk April 15

King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive Unit

River safety will be the focus of an upcoming talk in North Bend.

Sgt. Mark Rorvik of the King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive Unit will present a talk on river safety and river rescue and recovery at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 15.

The talk will be presented at the Sallal Grange and Community Hall in North Bend, on Stilson Avenue Southeast (432nd Avenue Southeast) and North Bend Way — near the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.

From floods to ice, to swift water, the Marine Rescue Dive Unit is trained to use special equipment to conduct rescues and recoveries in and around everything wet or water-related. With specialized four-by-fours, helicopter hoists to lower staff into inaccessible areas, and other equipment, the unit can get to any part of local rivers, and once there, dive expertise allows the unit to search and assist victims even in zero visibility swift water situations.

Sgt. Rorvik will discuss the dangers of rivers such as submerged logs, strainers, whirlpools, hypothermia, bank instability and ways to live with and play in rivers safely and responsibly.

The talk is presented by the Sallal Grange and Community Hall for the benefit of the public, and it is free to attend.

For more information about the Sallal Grange and its activities go online to www.sallalgrange.org or the Facebook page SallalGrange. Contact the Sallal Grange at 425-888-0825 or email Info@SallalGrange.org.