LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many witnesses at the scene of Sunday night's drowning voiced their confusion last night over the search procedure.
"Immediately when I got on the scene I took an evaluation of how far out in the water he was and knew that changed our operation completely," explains District Chief Chris Warren with Lexington Fire Department Station 2.
More than 350 feet from shore, that's how far 28-year-old Nicholas Hunter Davis was when he disappeared under water after accidentally flipping his kayak Sunday night at Jacobson Park Lake.
"It's tough for me to stand and watch it happen," Warren describes the moment he realized the search would go from a rescue to recovery, "To go from such a fast response to we have to make sure we slow down and do this right."
Warren admits that to an outsider, it can be confusing to watch crews stand around, but they are actually formulating a plan to safely recover the person: "We can't blind dive the entire lake."
Jacobson Park Lake doesn't have strong currents. However, Warren says that water temperature is a big factor to consider before diving into the water.
"The temperature in the water right now is about 60 [degrees], so this would classify as a cold-water drowning," explains Warren, "That gives us an hour to be able to perform a rescue to have somebody that may have a survivability rate that may be higher than normal."
The district chief says most water in Kentucky is similar to diving into chocolate milk because of its zero visibility. Sonar systems are the eyes they use to see through the murky waters.
"[This is a] sonar system that will allow us to use, like I was talking about with this boat. That will allow us to see imaging under water that we can then sonar back and forth across the lake," explains a Lexington Fire Department Station 9 firefighter.
"It's like mowing grass. You're going back and forth on the lake until you locate a target and start narrowing it down. It's just not a fast process," says Warren, "And we don't dive unless we can talk to each other; it's just a safety factor for us."
One of the firefighters explains that the department makes sure all divers are covered. If something happens to one diver, there's a plan in place for the backup diver to take over and for another diver to take the backup diver's place.
Emergency crews also stress the importance of wearing a life jacket when in the water. It doesn't matter if you're a swimmer or not; anything can happen. That's why it's smart to wear a bulky life jacket, which you normally see worn on boats, while on a paddle boat or kayak. A lighter life jacket is best for speed boats due to its ability to inflate upon impact.
Warren says he wants the biggest takeaway to be that witnesses are essential. If you see something make sure to relay all details to police or search and rescue to help them locate the individual(s).
