Newport City, VT - Emergency rescue teams took to the open water to sharpen specialized maritime tactics designed to save lives during critical boating emergencies.

Conducting night operations on August 11, 2026, the City of Newport Fire Department launched rescue vessels onto Lake Memphremagog in Orleans County for an intensive water rescue and boat operations training session.

Crews rotated through several demanding marine scenrios under real-world water conditions. Firefighters executed rapid man-overboard recovery drills, coordinated lake-wide search and rescue grid patterns, and performed complex boat-to-boat rescuer transfers while both vessels were underway at speed.

The rigorous evolutions were designed to ensure emergency personnel can navigate chalenging open-water conditions swiftly and safely whenever distress calls occur on the lake.

The hands-on session tested vessel handling, crew communication, and night-vision navigation, strengthening the department's capability to deliver fast, cordinated medical and technical interventions anywhere across the lake's vast shoreline.