MADISON, N.C. — On hot summer days people from near and far come to Madison to hop on a tube and float down the Dan River.
"Just to get away from the house for a while and to just have a little bit of relaxing fun out in nature," said Ashley Smith. She drove an hour and a half to float.
Hundreds of people will ride the river this summer and while it may be fun, it can be dangerous.
Saturday Madison firefighters were called to get a man out of the water. He is in critical condition.
"We had to stop the train to get down there to assist. So, we had to get a boat into the water and then get the guy onto the boat and to the bank to turn him over to EMS," said Madison Fire Chief, Jim Ritchey.
During the summer, Ritchey says they respond weekly to calls from floaters.
He says they depend on part-time firefighters and volunteers to respond.
However, this summer they have less hands-on deck, he says they're short about six volunteers.
"Everybody's moving towards career firefighting and stuff like that. So, it's become a little bit less of an interest to younger people they don't really get involved as much as they used to," Ritchey explained.
He says they rely on older, experienced people to work on their days off.
They also appreciate assistance from the tubing companies, who can help with minor needs, like if floaters pop a tube.
"If anything, ever goes wrong you can give us a call. We can go down there on kayaks and get you out," said Dawson Lancaster with Madtown Tubing.
As the department works to recruit more volunteers, it's important for floaters to follow the rules so they don't exhaust their resources.
"Read the signs, wear your vests, try to avoid the alcohol on the river, and stay with your friends that are there. It's a fun place, but it's not an amusement park," Ritchey exclaimed.