A drone drops a life jacket to a swimmer in a training exercise along the Sandy River in Oregon on May 16, 2025,
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
After nine drownings over three years in the Sandy River, emergency personnel from several Portland metro area agencies decided to team up to help keep the river safe.
“We got together ... and asked, ‘What could we do to be more proactive and improve our responses?’” Corbett Fire District Capt. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky said.
There were many answers. But the one that struck a chord involved investing together in some new technologies, like underwater sonar detectors to find struggling swimmers.
No single department had the money to buy everything. So the agencies split the shopping list between them.
The Corbett Fire District bought the sonar device. Zimmer-Stucky said they also bought a new drone to find swimmers who might call for help, but can only provide vague directions.
“Locating people when they call 911 for river assistance is really challenging,” Zimmer-Stucky said. “They say: ‘I’m on the river. There’s trees nearby.’ That’s our entire service area.
“So as we’re launching a boat, we’re launching a drone, giving us the ability to be eyes-on our victim.”
Their drones can also be used to carry life jackets out to struggling swimmers.
The Gresham Fire Department bought a new jet ski, so first responders can quickly reach people along the agency’s 16-mile jurisdiction of the Sandy River.
And the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office purchased a new boat, specially outfitted to motor into shallow water.
Capt. Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky tests a new underwater sonar detector along the Sandy River.
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
Zimmer-Stucky said sharing equipment appears to be working well.
“When there’s a river emergency, everyone gets paged,” she said. “We can all get on the same radio channels, communicate with each other. Understand what resources each agency can contribute.
“It’s a pretty smooth operation.”
The agencies are also continuing a project to place about 100 free life jackets at parks along the Sandy River, including Glenn Otto Park, Lewis and Clark Park and Dabney Park.
There has not been a drowning along the Sandy River over the last two years. Authorities want to keep it that way by reminding people to always use life jackets along local waterways.
