Safety News

With the final Cheoah releases of the 2007 season behind us, it’s an appropriate time to share a little background on activities in Graham County, NC (the county the Cheoah River flows through).  We are pleased to report that Graham County is investing significant resources into the restoration of the river channel to a more natural condition. 

A CNN story on whitewater rafting deaths published in September 2006, which can still be found on the Web, omits the fact that most of the fatalities cited by the article did not occur on commercial raft trips, said to David Brown, Executive Director of America Outdoors (AO).  America Outdoors is a national association of outfitters, which includes many whitewater rafting companies.  The story cites 50 whitewater deaths and infers that they were on commercial rafting trips due to lax state regulation.  Brown says his data shows 10 fatalities on guided, commercial raft trips in 2006.  None of the deaths on commercial trips were the result of a customer not wearing a life jacket.  Of the eight rafting deaths cited in Oregon by CNN, none were on a commercially guided trip.

Jim Segerstrom, founder of Rescue III International and a renowned swiftwater rescue expert, died February 5, 2007 in San Francisco, CA after a massive stroke. He was 60 years old. A former river guide and climbing instructor, Jim was the originator of the Swiftwater Rescue Technician program that has been a huge influence on paddlers and rescue professionals alike. He was the author of several original SRT course texts as well as books on high angle rescue and helicopter rescue. He was a frequent contributor to rescue magazines and a speaker at many national rescue and EMS conferences. A 25-year member of the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team, he continued to respond to emergencies and train instructors until his death. The strong current of Jim's life work will continue to be felt on rivers throughout the world.