The High Ridge Fire Protection District got a water-rescue call late Monday afternoon (Aug. 17), after a 32-year-old St. Louis woman got swept up in the Big River current at Rockford Beach in House Springs, said John Barton, engineer with the fire district.
He said the woman swam into waters that looked calm and soon began struggling in the current. She got trapped against a log and could not free herself because of the strong current, Barton added.
Crews were dispatched to the park at 4:23 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 4:27 p.m. By 4:50 p.m., she was safely out of the river, Barton said.
He said the woman, who had never been to Rockford Beach before, was not injured and was evaluated on the scene by Big River Ambulance District personnel
Barton said crews used a Cedar Hill Fire Protection District boat to reach the woman, and High Ridge Fire had a boat was on standby down river.
The Eureka Fire Protection District also responded to the call, he said
Barton said it was the sixth water-rescue call at Rockford Beach Park that High Ridge Fire received this summer, which is an unusually high number.
“This year they (the swimmers who have been rescued) all have been visiting from out of town,” he said.
The district had one water rescue in 2018 and three in 2019, Barton said.
The Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department has posted warnings at the park and on its website about the dangers of swimming at Rockford Beach.
At least two people drowned in recent years while swimming at the beach.