First responders from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland Fire Bureau rescued a man from the cold waters of the Willamette River in downtown Portland Friday morning near the Fremont Bridge.
The man, Michael Lewis Wilcox, 34, was rushed to an area hospital and is believed to be in critical condition, according to Lt. Steve Alexander of the sheriff’s office.
Alexander said that deputies and firefighters were alerted at 7:38 a.m. to a report that a person was hanging onto a log in the river near the east shore of the Willamette at about 808 N. River St., an industrial area just south of the bridge.
When they arrived, they used a a small rescue craft to reach Wilcox. Wilcox, who was unresponsive, was taken from the water and rescuers began lifesaving efforts as they boat took him across the river to the sheriff’s Willamette River Patrol office at 2200 N.W. Front Ave.
From there, other emergency workers waiting at the dock took Wilcos to an area hospital.
Alexander said investigators still don’t know why Wilcox was in the water. More information will be posted when it becomes available.
Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.
Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.
He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.
Reblogged this on The NW Fire Blog.