Three teenagers were rescued Tuesday night after a small boat overturned on the Chattahoochee River, north of McGinnis Ferry Bridge.
Forsyth County Fire Capt. Jason Shivers said the three were not injured, but “cold, wet and scared” following the incident, which happened about 9:30 p.m.
Shivers said Forsyth 911 operators maintained phone contact with the two males, ages 16 and 18, and one female, 16, until their phone battery died.
According to Shivers, a command post was set up on the McGinnis Ferry Bridge and personnel from Forsyth, Gwinnett County and Johns Creek used watercraft to find them on the river.
“We blew our air horns and had our emergency lights on,” Shivers said. “[The teens] said they could hear the horns and see the lights flashing through the trees.”
A Gwinnett County police officer spotted them on the Gwinnett side of the river.
Shivers said it’s not uncommon for agencies in different counties to share jurisdiction on the river, which separates Forsyth and Gwinnett south of Buford Dam and Lake Lanier.
It was the first river rescue operation of the season, Shivers said, though it “will be one of many before the year is out, on the lake and the river.”
Shivers advised those looking to go out on the Chattahoochee to be careful.
“The river is not an environment for those that are not experienced outdoorsmen,” he said. “At night, it can be a very dark, very scary place.”
Shivers said the teens, whose names have not been released, became separated from their boat.
“They became disoriented, didn’t know where they were and weren’t sure what side of the river they were on,” he said.
They then called 911.
Shortly before the cell phone battery died, Shivers said, the teens were told to “stay in place, and we would find them. Ultimately, that’s what happened.”
Forsyth County Fire Capt. Jason Shivers said the three were not injured, but “cold, wet and scared” following the incident, which happened about 9:30 p.m.
Shivers said Forsyth 911 operators maintained phone contact with the two males, ages 16 and 18, and one female, 16, until their phone battery died.
According to Shivers, a command post was set up on the McGinnis Ferry Bridge and personnel from Forsyth, Gwinnett County and Johns Creek used watercraft to find them on the river.
“We blew our air horns and had our emergency lights on,” Shivers said. “[The teens] said they could hear the horns and see the lights flashing through the trees.”
A Gwinnett County police officer spotted them on the Gwinnett side of the river.
Shivers said it’s not uncommon for agencies in different counties to share jurisdiction on the river, which separates Forsyth and Gwinnett south of Buford Dam and Lake Lanier.
It was the first river rescue operation of the season, Shivers said, though it “will be one of many before the year is out, on the lake and the river.”
Shivers advised those looking to go out on the Chattahoochee to be careful.
“The river is not an environment for those that are not experienced outdoorsmen,” he said. “At night, it can be a very dark, very scary place.”
Shivers said the teens, whose names have not been released, became separated from their boat.
“They became disoriented, didn’t know where they were and weren’t sure what side of the river they were on,” he said.
They then called 911.
Shortly before the cell phone battery died, Shivers said, the teens were told to “stay in place, and we would find them. Ultimately, that’s what happened.”