The Boise River Float started Saturday. How many rescues have there been?
The Boise River Float season kicked off this weekend — and the Fire Department already had to rescue one group of people.
On Sunday afternoon, Boise Fire responded to reports of an overturned raft near Friendship Bridge, spokesperson Lauren Melink told the Statesman. Four adults and two children fell out of their raft, but firefighters found them and made sure the floaters returned safely to shore, Melink said in an email. No one was injured.
“Boise Fire wants to remind community members that the Boise River is a wild, natural waterway and is not risk-free,” Melink said. “Please make sure everyone in your party, especially children, is wearing a life jacket.”
Wearing a life jacket isn’t optional for children. Idaho law mandates that kids age 14 or younger wear a life jacket on the water, according to the city.
Last week, officials announced that the river would open for the popular summer attraction, whose 6-mile float drew over 150,000 estimated visitors last year.
In 2022, on the first day of the float, Boise Fire worked on 14 rescues, four of which were life-threatening or life-saving.
The city and the official float website offers some tips, including that people shouldn’t tie their rafts or tubes together, go alone, float under the influence or use rope swings.
Many of the safety guidelines are often ignored, however, and incidents persist along the Boise River.
In 2022, for example, someone back-flipped off a bridge and into a raft, injuring a man and his son, according to previous Statesman reporting. In 2024, another man was floating when he allegedly was hit by a fire department boat.
