Firefighters rescue man from tow boat

Cape Girardeau firefighters helped move a man off a tow boat in the Mississippi River about 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

The man was in the midst of a medical emergency, and with the boat towing several barges, there was no way for them to stop.

Battalion chief Brad Dillow led a crew of firefighters on their rescue boat Marine One.

They transferred the man from the tow boat to an Alexander County, Illinois, ambulance waiting in Thebes, Illinois.

On board Marine One were a paramedic and advanced life-support equipment, although the man did not need treatment before reaching the ambulance, battalion chief Fred Vincel said.

Vincel said many Cape Girardeau residents are not aware of the fire department performing these types of transports.

"That's one of the things citizens of Cape Girardeau pay for with their fire department," Vincel said.

Pertinent address:

Thebes, Ill.