The Wausau area has its share of dangerous waterways, places where people can easily fall victim to a strong current. This weekend, some local firefighters and emergency workers got a crash course in what to expect when performing a water rescue.

Most of the time the river running through Whitewater Park is fairly calm, but if the nearby dam is opened up it can create a hazardous scene within just a few minutes, very similar to a flash flood.

That's why some participants at this weekend's Wisconsin American Trauma Society conference are getting their first look at the dangers of the water and a crash course in swift water rescue.

"None of these people have water rescue training in swift water, so it's basically to give them an awareness of, perception on hazards that are associated," says Steve Pilsner, a firefighter in Wausau and board member of the American Trauma Society in Wisconsin.

In a flash flood situation, the water's behavior can change very quickly. Instructors say using the dam is a great teaching tool and an ideal way to simulate flooding conditions.

"The different forces, currents, hydrologies in the water, and how it changes and how it moves," says Chuck Gering, a safety officer with the Wausau Canoe/Kayak Corporation.

And with additional training, instructors say these emergency workers will be better prepared to save victims, and protect themselves.

"I don't want to see any rescuer around the nation become a victim, themselves," says Pilsner.

The program's goal is to increase water safety awareness, and it seems to have paid off. After the session, one of the participants told Gering he'll never look at water the same way again.