Fire Department

Witnesses were concerned when they looked out onto Lake Monona to find an empty boat resting about a quarter-mile from shore. One person said he was concerned because he hadn’t seen anybody in the boat for the last 15-20 minutes, and the motor seemed to be running.
 
Various Madison Fire Department crews, including the Lake Rescue Team, were dispatched to the Olin Park Boat Launch to try to determine if someone had fallen in the water and needed help.
 
Medic 5 was in the area at the time and also responded to the scene. There they met an off-duty Madison firefighter who just happened to return from fishing. He offered a ride to the paramedics, and as the duo suited up in life vests they cruised out toward the unoccupied fishing boat.
 
As they sized up the anchored boat, which was not running, a second boat approached to tell paramedics they hadn’t seen anybody using the boat. Upon seeing all the commotion, a third boat came over. This time, one of the occupants of the third boat said the empty boat was his and he simply left it to go fishing with friends.
 
The Lake Rescue Team was told they could return downtown, seeing as nobody needed to be rescued. Paramedics were taken back to shore, and all boaters were able to resume their attempts to hook the day’s top catch.