KENNER, LA — City of Kenner firefighters responded to a call of an overturned kayak in Lake Pontchartrain this afternoon. They received the call at about 4:30 and sent multiple groups of firefighters into the area including a boat with two rescue swimmers.
The city says the initial call stated that the kayaker was located off of the levee in the area of Platt and Mesa streets, west of the Treasure Chest Casino. But firefighters found the man near the Parish Line Canal, even farther west. Two rescuers jumped into the water and pulled the man ashore and to safety.
“Our firefighters responded extremely quickly, and that made all the difference for this boater,” Kenner Fire Chief Ryan Bergeron says in a news release announcing the rescue.
The Coast Guard and East Jefferson Levee District Police also responded to the call. The City of Kenner says it keeps its Search and Rescue team staffed 24-7.
“It’s teamwork like this that shows our departmental training really pays off for residents and visitors of Kenner,” Mayor Ben Zahn says in the news release.
The kayaker was unhurt but was taken to the hospital to be checked by doctors as a precaution.