SARANAC, N.Y. (AP) — Firefighters from New York and Vermont have spent their weekend learning life-saving techniques in the rapids of the Saranac River in upstate New York.

During the firefighters' training in Saranac, they learned how to rescue themselves and others from fast-moving water.

Saranac Fire Police Chief Don Uhler tells WPTZ-TV (http://bit.ly/2qhIDzt ) that with the rise in kayakers and boaters on the local rivers, it is vital that the firefighters from Vermont and New York keep their skills fresh.

A Vermont fire chief says that his town of Middlebury has a river running right through the center of it, and water rescue skills are perishable skills that need constant practice.

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