Swift water rescue

A swift water rescue drill on the Boise River, here running fast, cold and high with late spring snow melt; an unprotected human being can only retain consciousness for roughly two minutes in such cold water before succumbing to hypothermia and losing consciousness.

Swift water rescue (also called "white water rescue") is a subset of technical rescue dealing in white water river conditions. Due to the added pressure of moving water, swift water rescue involves the use of specially trained personnel, ropes and mechanical advantage systems that are often much more robust than those used in standard rope rescue. The main goal is to use or deflect the water’s power to assist in the rescue of the endangered person(s), as in most situations there is no easy way to overcome the power of the water.