Paris Fire Chief Collin Hennessey wants the public to know what happened to a boat that was seen sinking during the rescue attempt of 72-year-old Patrick Kelly on Tuesday.
According to Chief Kelly:
On 9/10/2024 at approximately 2:30 PM, several hours into the search for a missing diver at the wreck of the SS Wisconsin, the Kenosha County Fire & Rescue Associations Dive Rescue boat encountered a catastrophic event in which it started taking on water.
The crew of the boat immediately transmitted a distress message over the radio and other boats immediately responded to its location to assist. This event occurred approximately 4 miles from shore and 2 miles from the SS Wisconsin wreck site.
The other boats were able to assist the 8-person crew from the rescue boat safely along with most of the equipment. The attempts made to secure the boat were unsuccessful and the boat quickly sank approximately 65 feet to the bottom of Lake Michigan.
The boat was a Bayliner Rendezvous 2659 which was 26.5ft long and 8.5ft wide, that was acquired approximately six years ago. The Kenosha County Fire/Rescue Association is actively working with the DNR to safely retrieve the vessel from the lake. The Kenosha County Fire/Rescue Association is still able to respond to incidents to protect the citizens of Kenosha County.
Opinion
“Many have criticized the governmental agencies for this financial loss. Thankfully, there is insurance. The fact remains that 8 brave souls boarded this board with one mission – to rescue a man who had a freak accident while diving, an activity he loved. Financial losses don’t hold a candle to the loss of life. KCE says BRAVO and THANK YOU for each and every law enforcement officer and fire service member who risked their lives in service to another. Dollars < Human Life. It sucks that a boat was lost. It sucks even more that a life was lost. Let’s look at the big picture here, which is the heroism of many. Let’s not be distracted by this minor incident.”
-Kevin
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72 Responses
We all cover the insurance costs and rising rates from such claims. It’s tragic- but let’s not try to sugarcoat the large financial toll this will take.
A quick google search shows the average cost of that exact model boat at 15-20k. A recovery company will charge probably 10-15k to bring it up. A grand total of a $1,000 deductible will financially ruin Paris. They’ll never recover from this. Mind as well close up shop and merge with Salem Lakes.
Lighten up Francis
🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣
I doubt you can buy the motor for that in the era of putinflation
You must not be aware of the “up charge” that occurs when anything is purchased for a government entity. Learn a few things, Karen 😉
Except the boat belonged to a nonprofit, not the Fire Department.
Still a government entity in the end.
A nonprofit is, specifically, an NGO — non-governmental organization. So, yeahhhhhhh, no.
Yeaaahhhh when being utilized on a call that IS a government group, it is. 😉
Especially the fuel or gas that will take a toll on Lake Michigan. That needs to be removed from the lake too.
The insurance will say something to the effect “the sinking was not covered by the current policy”.
Or that incompetence is not covered by insurance.
I know very little about boating. Maybe someone who knows can respond to this.
My instincts tell me that 8 people on this boat may have been too much. Are 8 people on one boat of this type necessary? Was the boat over loaded and if it was did this contribute to the sinking?
Glad all the guys got off the boat okay, very unfortunate about the diver; but the libertarian in me knows how this will play out (cost of the boat to the taxpayers). They’ll be very happy that it will inflate the future budgets- so there’s that.
Since it was a nonprofit’s boat, it’s unlikely that this sinking will impact the taxpayers.
False info man, why try to fool people? Were you on the boat?
https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpSearch/Details.aspx?entityID=K029311&hash=1140636085&searchFunctionID=3e29d72f-efd3-44cf-9457-36d930281013&type=Simple&q=Kenosha+County+Fire+%26+Rescue+Association
What now?
Way to post a link that doesn’t prove your point. You must not understand how Fire Districts and Associations work.
I don’t think there are any lakes in Paris so maybe it dry rotted
8 adults plus scuba gear makes me think the boat was overweight limits?
bunch of clown. bayliner is a junk boat too
When did the Biden/Harris administration take over the Paris Fire Department?
Careful, you’re going to hurt Sgt. Hulkas feelings…
Ummmm, it wasn’t the Paris Fire Department. It was the Kenosha County Fire/Rescue Association, a nonprofit organization.
How about the side-scan sonar equipment that went down with it? That’s owned by taxpayers. Some made it off and alot didn’t.
forget the plug?
My first thought
🤣🤣🤣
So how did the boat sink then? Funny how they left that part out. Lake looks like glass.
exactly how did it sink .We would like more detail
Reminds me of that scene from Jaws where Richard Dreyfuss tells the local shark hunters that they overloaded the boat and they basically tell him to piss off.
Calls into question the ability of the “rescue” team that needed rescuing from an overloaded boat. Amateur hour. They don’t even know how to properly display the registration info on their boat – wisconsin DNR uses “WS” for every watercraft, not “WI” as shown in the photo. Out tax $$ at work.
No…not our tax dollars at work. The Kenosha County Fire/Rescue Association that owned the boat is a nonprofit organization.
Yes, tax dollars to cover gear and in the end, the boat as it was being utilized by the FDs and dive team(s).
Gillian was the first mate on the boat
Weight/person restrictions are determined by the coast guard tag attached to boat. Obviously motor size/weight contributes to plus or minus that. Just a reply.
For everyone wondering the weight limit, because everyone with comments seems to assume, criticize, or ill-humored, the weight limit for the Bayliner Rendezvous 2659 is 2222 Kg (4898 lb). Youre welcome
I know. Google is hard to use. 13 passenger capacity!
So, as a commenter asked earlier, DID they forget the plug?🤣
Well within the weight of 8 people and whatever scuba gear they have. It’s really easy for all the arm chair critics to throw accusations around at the guys that are actually volunteering to do the work. If you’re so knowledgeable at how it should be done I’m sure they would love for you to join one of the volunteer fire departments and the dive team and help them out. These guys work full time jobs, then volunteer to put their lives at risk, for little or nothing.
Okay. I get that. At the same time, if the people who are volunteering don’t go through the proper procedure or IF they arent trained well enough, ( IF that’s what happened, because the article doesn’t say, which leaves everyone guessing), then would you want them on a rescue team? 8 guys were at risk losing THEIR lives trying to save another. No. We dont know why the boat sank. Apparently, that information wasn’t given. I think it’s awesome they volunteer! With that being said though, why did this happen? Did someone forget to follow a step to reassure all was safe? Did the boat have some type of failure causing it to sink? Was it mechanically sound and checked before the rescue?Did they hit an unseen rock? Everyone is only left to speculate so there will be all sorts of crazy comments.
So, why did it sink?
*You’re
You’re welcome 😉
Ummmmm, Kenosha County Fire/Rescue
Assocation is a private nonprofit organization. The fire department simply let people know the incident occurred.
Since taxpayers will still foot a lot of that bill, they deserve to know.
And…as they SHOULD.
New rescue boats must be bought every 2 years, especially since the users don’t have to pay for it, but want the latest and greatest models.
Except this boat belonged to a nonprofit organization.
How do you know this? Who is the company/organization that gave the boat to the rescue crew to use?
https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/corpSearch/Details.aspx?entityID=K029311&hash=1140636085&searchFunctionID=cb52559d-2ed9-44bc-81d2-5519ca243be2&type=Simple&q=Kenosha+County+Fire
It’s a non-stock corporation, which is a nonprofit.
Use it or lose it budget is a beautiful thing…to everyone but the taxpayer.
Nonprofits, as was the organization with the sunken boat, generally don’t have use it or lose it budgets.
When they are contracted out for a call they fall on the taxpayer. The lost gear and likely false WC claims do as well.
What are WC claims?
Workers Comp
Where’s all this outrage when a squad car gets slammed into?
There are thousands of cars driving around all day. It’s common for car crashes to occur. We’re talking about a boat 4 miles off the shore of Lake Michigan sinking without any reasonable explanation. It didn’t hit another boat, there are very few if any logs floating around big enough to sink a boat, and it certainly didn’t hit a rock or reef that far out. That’s why there’s outrage.
Boats sink and capsize more than you think. The sample size is smaller is all.
Well, since this was a nonprofit’s boat, this question isn’t relevant.
It will be our bill, calm down. You really are passionate about this info- did you forget to put the drain plug in?
How do you know it was a nonprofit boat?
Then why are we footing the bill? That’s what everyone seems to think…..
We are footing the bill- that’s why everyone wants to know why it sank.
Maybe because when a squad car gets slammed into, it’s not some great mystery for people whistling and looking the other way when asked why it sank?
WHAT HAPPENED? Why did it sink?
Rum and coke on the rocks…not run the boat on the rocks!
Most of us just want to know why it sank. We don’t seem to be getting even the simplest of explanations, so that would lead us to imply it would be inconvenient / embarrassing.
Agreed, and as others have mentioned the simplest guests would be that they forgot to put a drain plug in. They would have been fine while hustling out towards the scene and might not have noticed water coming in until they slowed down approaching the scene. One would hope that there would be a thorough Coast Guard report since it was a sinking of a boat with occupants etc. Please, Coasties-do the right thing and be professional with a report and investigation.
Have divers been sent down to the vote to replace the plug yet 😉
If a boat sinks and the coast guard isn’t around,
did it make a sound ?
Since the Coast Guard isn’t here anymore, will they investigate this sinking ?
Seems like something they should do.
Or be involved in.
Or do we call Boat OSHA ???
Drain plug?
Regardless of all the divers on the boat, where it came from or if they were paid to be there,
One person had one Job !!
That is to control the boat !
Check everything. Ensure all aboard were supposed to be there. Oversee the complete function of transporting these rescue people to where they needed to be. One Job !!!!
I’m sure that whichever agency controlled and stored the boat, they had a list of personnel that were trained and authorized to do that one job. And when the first person on the list wasn’t available the next person took control. And on down the line.
If it was as simple as a drain plug, or any other failure to pre trip the boat, then not only should that person be fired, they need to be identified for all to know. The only way problems get fixed is for the problem maker to be called out so the next person doesn’t make the same mistake.
You had one job
Forgetting to check the drain plug is a very common mistake. There’s not a smoking gun in this story, so the best anyone can do is speculate. Did someone take the boat out for a test run and scrape a rock? Is the boat under watchful security 24/7? Inquiring minds want to know.