{"id":394228,"date":"2026-07-11T01:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T01:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/394228\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T01:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T01:53:10","slug":"officials-urge-safety-after-rescues-on-the-american-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/394228\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials urge safety after rescues on the American River"},"content":{"rendered":"

Planning a day out on the American River to cool off as temperatures climb?<\/p>\n

Be sure to wear a personal flotation device and familiarize yourself with the waters, or you might wind up stuck on an island or in an eddy requiring rescue \u2014 just like two individuals who were aided by crews during two separate rescue incidents along the waterway this past week.<\/p>\n

The American River, which runs from the Sierra Nevada and converges with the Sacramento River near downtown Sacramento, was the site of two rescues on Tuesday and Wednesday, involving individuals who fell from their recreational watercraft and became stranded on small islands or logs along the river.<\/p>\n

Both rescues were conducted without incident or injuries, Capt. Mark Nunez, a spokesperson for Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said, adding they were emblematic of the type of call they receive with increasing frequency during the summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of calls along the American River are things of that nature \u2014 they missed their take-out, got stuck in an eddy,\u201d Nunez said in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s not uncommon for us, especially on a Saturday or Sunday, to respond to this type of incident once or twice a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

While generally minor emergencies, Nunez warned that every incident carries the \u201cpotential for drowning\u201d and he stressed the importance of anyone recreating on the river being familiar with its geography and dynamics before heading out.<\/p>\n

George Tzikas, a Sacramento County Regional Parks ranger, explained that the river\u2019s currents can change, and that its underwater topography is often a contributing factor in many rescues. Though much of the American River, particularly the lower section of near Sacramento, is made up of Class 1 rapids \u2014 gentler waters ideal for floating and tubing \u2014 several areas have much stronger currents that can pose more of a danger and that individuals could be unprepared to handle.<\/p>\n

Tzikas pointed to the San Juan Rapids, Clay Banks and Sailor Bar areas as those with stronger currents and eddies that can throw individuals from their rafts and paddleboards or submerge them before shooting them rapidly downstream. Along with Nunez, he emphasized the importance of wearing a life vest to minimize risk to those venturing out on the river.<\/p>\n

\u201cWear a life jacket. No matter what your what kind of raft you\u2019re on \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Tzikas said. \u201cEven if they don\u2019t know how to swim, the life jacket will give us enough time to get to them before they get tired out, and it\u2019ll keep them from going under.\u201d<\/p>\n

Individuals can borrow life vests<\/a> for free at several stations along the American River Parkway.<\/p>\n

Ed Igoe, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office and a member of the department\u2019s dive team, cautioned that even \u201cstrong swimmers\u201d should wear personal flotation devices when out on the water.<\/p>\n

Nunez recommended that people use watercraft appropriate to the river\u2019s conditions. While store-bought paddleboards and rafts can suffice, they can become snagged on branches and rocks, Nunez said, with companies by the river \u2014 specifically American River Raft Rentals \u2014 offering watercraft with thicker materials that can manage the waterway\u2019s geography and currents.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, nearly every Saturday during the summer, the Regional Parks boat team will be patrolling the river, providing immediate support to those who might become stranded, Tzikas said. Along with Metro Fire, Regional Parks rangers typically deploy two boats \u2014 one downstream and the other upstream \u2014 with additional engine crews and a helicopter to aid victims during a rescue if necessary.<\/p>\n

Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office Marine Division may also assist with rescues during special events \u2014 such as the Fourth of July \u2014 when people tend to flock to the river to enjoy the holiday, Igoe said.<\/p>\n

Rescues during holidays have declined in recent years, owing to the prohibition of alcohol on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July, along with the banning of diving along the Clay Banks, Nunez said.<\/p>\n

Still, officials advocated caution and risk prevention on the water the river becomes an enticing way to cool off.<\/p>\n

\"Park Park Maintenance workers Paul Rubio, left, Jason Roberson, back, and Andrew Stephens, right, install prohibiting diving and warning of river dangers near the Clay Banks along the American River in Rancho Cordova in 2024 BAILEY STOVER Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Reeti Malhotra<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Reeti Malhotra is a 2026 summer reporting intern for The Sacramento Bee covering breaking news. She is a junior at Yale University, where she works as a city beat reporter and personal essay staff writer for the Yale Daily News.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Planning a day out on the American River to cool off as temperatures climb? Be sure to wear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-394228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}