Joliet puts lifesavers along Des Plaines River wall

The Joliet Fire Department on Wednesday installed life savers at eight spots along the Des Plaines River wall, an action prompted by an incident last year in which a 2-year-old was rescued from the river.

“At that point, we said, ‘Let’s try to do something,‘” Battalion Chief Jim Batusich said as he and others installed the first life saver at a spot in Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park.

It was bystanders who rescued the child who fell into the river in August. They also helped keep the mother, who jumped in to save the child, afloat using a bike for her to hold onto until the fire department rescue team arrived.

A news release from the city on the life saver project noted a member of the rescue team held onto the mother while crews lowered a ladder and rope that allowed her to get out of the river.

The lifesavers now installed along the river should make such rescue attempts easier.

The Des Plaines River as it goes through downtown Joliet is bordered by a river wall, which makes it all but impossible for anyone who falls into the river, or jumps before thinking better of it, to get out.

Bystanders can fling a lifesaver to someone struggling to stay afloat until the fire department rescue team arrives.

The dangers of the river have become an issue in recent years as families of those who died from drowning have alleged that they were the victims of foul play.

Police officials at a June 2024 public meeting that was called in large part to address questions raised about river deaths said no sign of foul play was found in any of 15 deaths since 2020.

Whether the deaths were suicides, accidents or homicides, the perils of the river have driven city officials to take steps to make it safer.

“This is just a start,” Batusich said of the eight life savers installed Wednesday.

The life savers are enclosed in plastic boxes. Rescue helpers pull on a cord, which sets off an alarm, to get access to the life saver that can be thrown to someone treading water.

The shrill alarm is a security device intended to prevent theft and vandalism.

The life saver can be thrown into the river to aid people who fall in by accident or jump in voluntary to take their won lives before changing their minds.

It’s not unusual for a suicidal person to think differently once they leap into the cold, dark water of the Des Plaines River, said retired Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Fox, a participant in many river rescues.

“Once they hit the water, it’s like, ‘This is a bad idea,’” Fox said as he helped Batusich and Capt. Nick Carbaugh install the life savers.

That’s when the fire department gets called out for a rescue. But the river is deep, about seven feet along the wall and deeper in the middle.

“Once you’re in that water, there’s no way out,” Batusich said.

There is one ladder along the wall near City Hall.

Any additional ladders would have to be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, and Batusich said he ran into a bureaucratic wall last year when he made an attempt to get approval for more ladders from the federal agency.

The eight lifesavers installed this week are in high-traffic areas.

Five are along the riverside walkway in Bicentennial Park. One will be along the river at City Hall and another at the police station. Another will be outside Harrah’s Casino.