Taylor Mill honors Ed Kuehne for efforts to save swimmer as part Boone Water Rescue


By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter

Taylor Mill Commissioner Ed Kuehne was honored at a recent Taylor Mill commission meeting for his efforts to save a swimmer on the Ohio River last August.

On August 25, the weekend before Labor Day, a middle-aged man decided to swim across the Ohio River, at a place under the Suspension Bridge.

At 6:06 p.m. the call came in that people had lost sight of a swimmer. The Boone County Water Rescue had a boat, 219, out on the river, but they had stopped at the Riverside Marina for supper. They immediately responded to the radio call, but when they called the waitress for their check, a person at the next table told the two rescue people to go, get out there, and he would pay the check.

Boone County Water Rescue (Photo provided)

At 6:19 p.m. the boat was at the site and they located the swimmer. One person kept charge of the boat, and the other person deployed into the water.

That swimmer was Ed Kuehne.

“I saw the person, because another boat had a person pointing to him,” explained Kuehne. “I only saw his head and shoulders. He was face down in the water. I jumped into the water, grabbed him and turned him over so his face was out of the water and his airway was clear. It was very windy that day, and the water was choppy, and the current was strong.”

Kuehne said the Covington Fire Department had their boat, Zodiac 1, at the site, and between him and the people on the Zodiac they were able to get the man into the boat where CPR was immediately administered. He was taken to the Cincinnati shore where the Cincinnati Fire Department had an ambulance ready to take the man to UC Hospital, where they have a trauma center.

“Boone County Water Rescue, Covington Fire Department, and Cincinnati Fire Department all have a great working relationship,” Kuehne stated. “We train together, and we work together. It is a well oiled machine.”

Kuehne has been a member of the Boone County Water Rescue for 26 years, and he enjoys what he does because it makes a difference. He is a helper.

“I have helped people ever since I can remember,” he said, mentioning that he will soon be 78 years old. But his vitality belies his age, and the number doesn’t hamper him in any way. “I will continue to help people as long as the Lord is with me.”

Kuehne started as an EMT a long time ago. His EMT number is 14, meaning he was the 14th person registered in the state of Kentucky as an Emergency Medical Technician. He regularly teaches CPR, and First Aid classes.

He is trained as a rescue swimmer, and only those trained as a rescue swimmer are permitted to deploy into the river to help a victim.

Kuehne does river patrol 3 to 4 times a month. The Boone County Water Rescue is out on the river every weekend during the good weather on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon and night. He said this is the first time he was called upon to be a rescue swimmer, but he said they train for ‘just in case’ events.

The Boone County Water Rescue began in 1967 when originator Dale Appel lost a good friend to the river, and his body was not recovered for a time. Appel didn’t want that to happen to anyone else, and he and a friend bought a boat and started the Water Rescue.

Appel is retired now, and Sergeant Donny Schuckman is a diver, a public information officer, a jack of all trades, and captain of the crew.

Ed Kuehne recognized by family and his teams at Taylor Mill and Boone County Water Rescue (Photo by Patricia Scheyer)

“This is an all volunteer organization,” he said. “On that August day Ed and Tom Cheevers were out on the river on patrol. When we are called, it is Reach, Throw, and Row, or Go. In this case they reached the victim, but they couldn’t throw anything to him because he was not responsive, so rowing to him was out, and the Go part meant that the swimmer went into the water.”

Schuckman said he found out the victim lived only a few days at the hospital, but he was an organ donor, and he was able to help several other people with his donated organs.

“People tend to underestimate the river,” he explained. “There is a lot going on under the surface of the water. But still, people get out there without life vests. I always insist on people wearing life vests. The current is so strong, most people don’t stand a chance without a life vest.”

Schuckman said the organization has about 45 people, and about 15 more are going through training to join the crew.

Schuckman was one of the five co-workers on the Rescue team who surprised Kuehne at the Commission meeting, as Mayor Daniel Bell presented him with a proclamation honoring his efforts to save the man. His wife Paula was also there.

“I was definitely surprised,” Kuehne said. “But I will tell you, all of these people, and the other 40 plus more would have done what I did. They may not all be trained rescue swimmers but they know what to do to rescue people. This is a heck of a team; this is a heck of a Captain right here. I call them brothers and sisters because I spend hundreds of hours with them.”

Kuehne shook hands with his team, then shook hands with the mayor and all the commissioners, his city team. Kuehne is running for another term on the commission, another place he is serving, and he has no plans to stop.

“I don’t plan on quitting,” he said. “I get a personal satisfaction from helping people. I love the river, and I love the city.”


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