ST. AMANT — Ascension Parish firefighters began canal rescue classes this month, a special form of water rescue involving saving people from vehicles.

Officials said the skills from the canal rescue class work in conjunction with swift water and floodwater rescue skills. Firefighters from Gonzales, Fire District One, Prairieville and Donaldsonville fire departments participated in the course on Thursday.

"We don't want our public to be in danger, but we have a lot of waterways, we have ponds and all kinds of other different things around here," Ascension Parish Fire District 3 Chief of Training Jesse Wingate said.

Gulf States Dive and Rescue Director of Operations Paul Fraser said the first responders ran different scenarios, like how to help a person who cannot swim and what to do in low or no visibility.

"Canal and water rescues that deal with cabs above the water, both settled with the cab above the water, settled with the cab just below the surface of the water, vehicles that may have succumbed all the way to the bottom, as well as vehicles that are still floating," Fraser said.

Randy Eilers with the Prairieville Fire Department said the skills in the course will help in Ascension Parish.

"I know the area in which I live in, we have a lot of drainage canals around. You'll hear on the news once every couple of months a car driving into a drainage canal. I've been involved with at least three different flooding events where roads have gotten overtopped, people calling for rescue and such," Eilers said.

In July, a man was rescued from a car in the New River Canal in Geismar.

Wingate said now is a good time for the class, adding that hurricane season brings the challenge of potential flood events.

"As high water occurs, the potential for vehicles to go into high water also occurs; this skill will allow us to be able to respond better and more efficiently," Wingate said.