OGDENSBURG -- On Friday and Saturday, members of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary were joined by representatives from the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary to practice emergency operations on the St. Lawrence River.

The annual training, conducted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Division 1, saw six boats from the US and Canadian Auxiliaries and nearly 40 participants practicing towing, search patterns, and other exercises to prepare for the boating season.

Captain Joseph DuFresne, Commander of the US Coast Guard’s Sector Buffalo, which covers the St. Lawrence River, said, “I applaud the joint training effort.

The level of cooperation was exceptional, and I was glad to see the practices on both sides of the river were so similar. It will make our cooperative efforts more effective.”

One practical exercise involved training to deal with a kayaking accident. With the large increase in paddle sports activities, the potential for accidents involving canoes and kayaks is on the rise.

According to John Augsbury, Division Operations Officer, “The change in the boating dynamics on the river prompted us to focus on responding to accidents involving canoes and kayaks.”

Using a kayak and a simulated kayaker, crews practiced recovering a person-in-the-water and retrieving an overturned kayak as the water conditions on the river create additional problems to normal operations.

“The high water and debris in the river increases the challenges for boaters this season. We encourage boaters to be cautious, slow down, and always wear their life jackets,” said Richard Evans, Commander of the Auxiliary’s Division 1.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard. Its primary focus is on recreational boating safety.

The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939.

For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.