Tempe Fire Department calls for safety and vigilance after multiple drowning accidents

TEMPE, AZ — Rescue crews in Tempe have recovered two bodies from Tempe Town Lake this week alone.

On Friday, rescue workers pulled the body of an unknown man from the lake. The investigation is still ongoing.

Just days earlier, Tempe Fire Department found the body of 47-year-old Michael Reyes, who had been seen swimming in the lake the night before.

In Reyes’ case, someone in a nearby apartment filmed the man in the water and called police.

“When you have to rescue someone, it’s a big challenge. We hate to see incidents like this,” said Tony Butch, deputy chief of emergency operations for the Tempe Fire Department.

Butch wants to make sure people are aware of the restrictions at the lake and what the public can do to save lives.

“We don’t allow recreational swimming for health and safety reasons,” Butch said, “so if you saw someone there, that’s unusual.”

Last year, the city installed dozens of publicly accessible lifebuoys around the lake.

Butch said anyone who sees someone swimming in the water should contact authorities immediately.

“Throw the flotation device there immediately and then call 911 immediately,” Butch said.

The city has also equipped police and fire departments with inflatable throw bags for emergencies and launched a park ranger program last year.

“We have park rangers and police patrolling the area seven days a week. But not 24 hours a day, and this lake is big,” Butch said. “So there’s a lot of ground to cover.”

When someone is reported in the lake, fire department rescue teams try to be on the scene within about five minutes. If the rescue turns into a recovery mission, the dive team is called.

“The city of Tempe is one of the few departments in the valley that has a dive team,” Butch said.

The Tempe Fire Department reports three drownings in Tempe Town Lake so far this year and about a dozen in the past seven years.