Clallam County Fire District 3 firefighters and medics rescued a 15-year-old boy on Thursday night with a dislocated knee in the middle of the Dungeness River.

Battalion Chief Chris Turner said firefighters and medics from the Blyn Fire Station first responded around 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 to find the reporting party at the Dungeness Forks Campground on Forest Service Road 2880.

The teenager was lying on a small island in the middle of the Dungeness River, Turner said, and the medic crew wore flotation devices to wade across the river to begin treatment and stabilization.

The fire district’s Technical Rescue Team was dispatched to assist, Turner said, and the teen was treated on scene for his injuries, set in a Stokes litter carrier, and carried through knee-high water to a stretcher on the opposite side of the river.

Eleven first responders from the fire district and two from Olympic Ambulance responded to the call.

The patient was transported to Olympic Medical Center without further incident, Turner said.

District officials say the teen told them he was chasing and/or watching the fish in the river before injuring himself.

He added that while the river is beautiful, it can be dangerous, and visitors should be prepared with personal flotation devices, aware of hypothermia, and have a plan in case of an emergency. For more about the district’s Technical Rescue services, visit ccfd3.org.

Photo courtesy Chris Turner Clallam County Fire District 3 conducts a rescue on Sept. 28 for an injured teenager in the Dungeness River.