Updated at 9:30 PM The Wilmette Fire Department was called before 6 p.m. this evening after a swimmer was caught in strong currents and disappeared near Gillson Park on Lake Michigan. Upon arrival, firefighters requested divers from across Division 3, the Coast Guard, and a helicopter from the Chicago Fire Department. However, the Chicago helicopter was unavailable due to an ongoing rescue mission, and it only managed one pass over the area before returning to Midway Airport for refueling. Chicago Fire Department Helicopter 6-8-2 makes a pass over the lakefront in Wilmette trying to spot a swimmer that was in distress. Jeff Rudolph photo The water conditions were too rough for divers, so firefighters walked along the breakwater and into the surf in search of the missing swimmer. Evanston Fire Department provided jet skis, which allowed divers to enter the water. After more than an hour on scene, the swimmer’s body was spotted by a beach observer, and the jet skis were used to bring the body ashore. Fire department divers in swift water gear walk in the waters off the beach in Wilmette searching for a missing swimmer. Jeff Rudolph photo Divers wade through rough waves as others walk the breakwater looking for a swimmer who was overcome by the current. Jeff Rudolph photo Tim Olk and Jeff Rudolph were on the scene and captured the operation on camera. Jeff Rudolph shared the following account: The Evanston Fire Department wave runner tows a diver along the shoreline in Wilmette on Saturday. Jeff Rudolph photo A staging officer manages resources as they arrive at Gillson Park to assist the Wilmette Fire Department with rescuing a swimmer in distress. Jeff Rudolph photo The Chicago Tribune has an article here. A 14-year-old boy died after being pulled from Lake Michigan this evening off of Gillson Park in Wilmette. The search began sometime after 6 p.m. in the water off the beach near Sheridan Road and Michigan Avenue in the North Shore suburb, and the search ended about 7 p.m. when a male of unknown age was pulled from the water. A witness saw officials pull the person from the water and put him onto a stretcher while performing CPR. The person was then placed into a Wilmette fire ambulance and taken from the scene. Wilmette Battalion 26 took command of the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo Wilmette Squad 26 carries gear for the department divers. Jeff Rudolph photo  Glencoe divers responded with Ambulance 30. Jeff Rudolph photo  The Des Plaines Fire Department Dive Squad 78 and boat. Jeff Rudolph photo Flat Steel,Steel Flat Bar,Flat Stock Steel,Flat Metal Strips Huaibei Zhonglian Steel Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.zlxgsteel.com
Wilmette dive box 8-27-11
At the Wilmette Code 4 and dive box at Gillson Park today, a 15-year-old male was pulled under by a strong current. The conditions were too severe to send divers underwater, so they used pike poles to conduct walking searches. After 1.5 hours, the victim was spotted in the surf by a shore-based observer. He was pulled out unresponsive, and ALS care was started on the beach. The patient was transported to Wilmette Ambulance 27. Medics from Wilmette, Deerfield, and Skokie worked on him and took him to Evanston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The wave runners used belonged to the Evanston FD. Chicago FD Air 1 provided an overhead look, but the water was too murky to see anything clearly.