SANDWICH – Sandwich Fire tells CWN that on Thursday at 5:07 PM, they responded to a reported overturned sailboat with a person in the water off 111 Salt Marsh Road. The on-duty personnel were up on Route 6 with a traffic crash with no personnel initially available. An ambulance freed up with a boat operator and responded to the marina to respond the fire boat. A new response plan that went into effect today between Sandwich, Barnstable and Joint Base Cape Cod FDs was activated which has the Barnstable Fire boat responding automatically to Sandwich as well due to staffing shortages with the USCG Cape Cod Canal Station.
Additional Sandwich Fire personnel responded directly to 111 Salt Marsh Road to assist and direct responding marine units. At 5:23 PM, Sandwich and Barnstable marine units responded and the Sandwich Fire boat arrived at 5:33 PM and found an overturned 14 foot sailboat with a male party in the water holding on to a kayaker that responded to assist. The man was in the water for approximately 30 minutes and was removed onto the Sandwich Fire boat and transported to the Sandwich Marina where he was evaluated for hypothermia and refused transport to the hospital. The Banrstable Fire boat remained on scene to assist securing the sailboat.
As part of the response, Joint Base Cape Cod FD dispatched two firefighters in a rescue vehicle to provide additional manpower and response assistance to additional calls in Sandwich. The Joint Base rescue ended up responding to two additional medical calls that occurred while the boat rescue was taking place with additional Sandwich Fire ambulances. Sandwich Fire extends their thanks to our mutual aid partners for their swift response. The Sandwich Harbormaster will work with the boat owner on retrieval of the vessel.
