Five Verdoy firefighters were hospitalized Monday night after their boat flipped during a training exercise on the Mohawk River, an incident that officials say highlights the dangers of cold water temperatures for anyone heading out on New York waterways this time of year.
Firefighters were conducting a training exercise on the river in the town of Colonie when the boat experienced mechanical issues and capsized. All five were rescued from the water and taken to a hospital to be evaluated. Town of Colonie Fire Coordinator Michael Romano said the firefighters are expected to recover but were shaken by the experience.
“You gotta remember they’re in the middle of the river; the boat goes over, they took on a lot of water,” Romano said. “It’s a scary situation, but they’re trained on how to handle this, and they resorted back to their training. They had their life jackets and they were able to hold on to the boat.”…