Kamloops firefighters are urging people to be careful near water this summer, especially the Thompson River.

A man had to be rescued yesterday afternoon near Rabbit Island, and Platoon Captain Wade Lindoff says these incidents are preventable.

“It’s a busy time of year. We have boaters out there and rafters and swimmers. You get all three together and we sometimes have an incident,” he said. “You have to be careful out there, especially for the boaters. Keep your eyes open and look out for other people using the river as well.”

Lindoff says people can usually tell if the river is moving faster than usual, but he cautions that it can be deceiving at times.

“If you do happen to find yourself in the swifter areas, probably the most important thing to remember is don’t try and swim up current. It’s a lot stronger than you are,” Lindoff said.

“So you are far better off aiming for a point down river and swimming towards that, and slowly work your way towards the shore and crawl out.”

Lindoff says river rescues can be tricky depending on a variety of factors, but he said the effort yesterday “went well”.