DAYTON, Ky. — Ahead of America's River Roots Festival this week, local first responders prepare to be on the ground and in the water to protect those enjoying the fun.
I went out on the water with the Boone County Water Rescue Team. Public Information Officer Danielle Gronefeld told me she and her team have been preparing for about a year.
"It's probably the most people we'll have out on the river at a time, due to the quantity of the river boats that are coming in," Gronefeld said.
She said there will be nine riverboats visiting the Queen City from seven different American cities.
Watch to see how local first responders have prepared for the festival:
Gronefeld walked me through how her team has prepared with other local agencies for this specific event.
"We've had a couple river exercises with local and federal agencies, where we've done some drills in case there happens to be an emergency on one of those large river boats," Gronefeld said.
She said they practice tying up the boats so they can get personnel off — or on — if need be.
Boone County Water Rescue posted a full map of the river closures later in the week on their Facebook page.
Gronefeld told me there will also be a no-wake zone in effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
"So slow, idle speed where you're not really creating a wake," Gronefeld said. "It keeps the boaters a little bit more controlled, and we have a lot of these boats, will be going in and out."
She also pointed out red buoys, which mark a channel along the Ohio River that has been allotted for recreational boats.
The team will be working from the morning hours to late at night, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
