Apparently some people like wandering onto mudflats when the tide is out. It’s not a good idea. Here’s the story and photos I filed for The Tri-City News of rescue training on the mudflats of Port Moody Inlet by the Port Moody Fire Department.
It took just three steps for Rob Suzukovich to become hopelessly, and helplessly, stuck in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
Fortunately, he’s a Port Moody fire captain who was taking part in a training exercise Thursday to give the city’s firefighters some practice extricating people who’ve wandered off the shoreline and into the heavy muck at low tide.
Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson said that happens about twice a year.
He said the easy access to the flats from nearby trails, and the proximity of lots of residents and visitors to the city who may not be aware of the dangers of the mudflats make it imperative his crews keep their skills fresh.
He said the mudflats can be deceiving because when the tide is low they look no different than a soggy beach. But the mud is heavy with organic material and so saturated with water it creates an instant vacuum when unwary visitors step into it. That’s when the trouble starts.
“The harder you work to get out, you just sink deeper,” said Coulson of the process called liquefaction.
He said anyone who gets stuck in the ooze should stay calm until help arrives.
That help includes firefighters equipped with special plastic overshoes they strap onto their boots that allows them to walk on top of the muddy surface. They’ll also carry a spare pair of the overshoes for their victim, as well as a spinal board to provide a solid surface once that victim is extricated.
A high-power water pressure gun attached to 1.25-inch hoseline allows the firefighters to blast muck away from the victims legs, replacing it with water so they can be pulled out easier.
Suzokovich said the suction was immediate and overpowering.
“It’s very deceiving,” he said.
Coulson said visitors need to respect the signs warning them to stay off the mudflats at low tide.
“They don’t realize the danger,” he said. “And if the tide comes in, it can quickly turn tragic.”
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody fire caption Rob Suzukovich gets some help back on his feet from his “rescuers,” firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster, during a training exercise to extricate people trapped in the mudflats at the east end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody firefighters use a high-pressure spray gun to loosen the mud around their “victim” so he can be pulled to a spinal board to strap on special overshoes that will allow him to walk back to firmer terrain.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS After hiking across the mudflat in their special overshoes, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster arrive at their stuck colleague, Rob Suzukovich.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The designated “victim” for the exercise, Port Moody fire captain Ron Suzukovich, walks toward his doom in the mudflats off the Old Mill site on the north shore of Port Moody Inlet. Fire chief Ron Coulson says the easy access to the flats from shoreline trails and the proximity of many residents means his crews usually get called out twice a year to pluck people from the heavy muck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson says his department can expect to rescue a couple of people a year who don’t heed the warning signs and get stuck in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS It’s a dirty job getting people out of the mudflats if they become stuck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody firefighters strap on special plastic overshoes that allow them to walk on the surface of the mudflats to rescue people stuck in the muck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Firefighters wearing backpacks containing specialized equipment walk towards the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet to practise rescuing a colleague who’s been sucked into the thick, heavy muck at low tide. Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson says the easy access to the flats from nearby trails makes them alluring to visitors who may not know what they’re getting themselves into.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A Port Moody firefighter deploys a 1.25-inch hose attached to a high-pressure spray gun that can be used to loosen the mud around a victim trapped in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Muddy but otherwise unhurt, Ron Suzukovich heads for solid ground after serving as the “victim” in a training exercise to help Port Moody firefighters rescue people trapped in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL 