LIBERTY — Members of the Liberty Fire Department (LFD) responded to 445 Stanton Corners Road for a water rescue operation around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Two teenagers were riding on a light-duty raft on the Middle Mongaup River when a passing motorist saw them stranded on a small island overgrown with vegetation and the water rising fast.

The Rock Hill Fire Department (FHFD) answered the call for mutual aid with their swift water rescue team. RHFD Assistant Chief Robbie Green requested assistance from the State Swift Water Rescue Team that was pre-positioned in Sullivan County by the Office of Fire Prevention and Control just before Tropical Storm Isaias impacted the region on Tuesday.

“Both teams worked together to get these two kids to safety,” said Liberty's 1st Assistant Chief Rick Sauer. “It was a good thing they were both here.”

According to responders, neither of the young men sustained any injuries.

“It was definitely not a good day [to be] on the river,” Green said. “The water was that milky-brown color. It's very fast and very dangerous. We've been in similar situations before where that would have been fatal.”

Also on the scene were members of the New York State Police, Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, Hatzalah and MobileMedic EMS.