ROCHESTER, N.Y. — United States Border Patrol agents were among the many agencies helping with search and rescue efforts when a plane collided with a helicopter near Washington, D.C. in January. Their roles are filled with unknowns. With that, tedious training to be prepared for serving their country on the water.

“Our entire border is made up of water," said Brady Waikel, the patrol agent in charge of Niagara Falls. "So, a large part of our mission and our operations include maritime. And so, to do that, we have to do regular training to get our boats out there. What we're doing today is our survival swimming course."

What You Need To Know

  • Multiple times throughout the year, the United States Border Patrol trains for the unknown: frigid water survival

  • Niagara Falls Patrol Agent in Charge Brady Waikel has been serving his country for more than two decades and passes along the passion for doing the job to his fellow agents

  • USBP teams up with multiple agencies for this training, as the department often pairs up with other municipalities when crisis hits

  • Agents face many unknowns, including frigid water temperatures, the possibility of narcotics on the water, as well as smuggling individuals along surrounding open bodies of water on the job

He’s been serving his country as a USBP agent for decades. In his most recent role in Western New York, he and his crew are surrounded by open bodies of water.

“It’s important to understand that our agents are out on the water, patrolling every day on all shifts," he explained. "So [we patrol] in the evening, at night and in the daytime [and] even in the wintertime. They're learning to become familiar with being in the water, being familiar with their flotation devices, their equipment, learning how to react if they were to fall into the water, how to rescue people safely out of the water, and how to effect an arrest on the water and what to do if they were to go overboard during an arrest.”

Border Patrol, Customers Parol and even the scuba unit team up multiple times throughout a year to train for the unexpected together.

“I have to have my locals, my federal [and] my state partners to help me out," Waikel said. "Otherwise, I don't have enough people and resources. So, one of the things that we do, especially in our marine program, is we train other agencies and in this case of the field operations are here with us."

In many times of crises, agencies across the country join forces to help serve the country.

“We equip our agent so that they can be safely on the water in cold weather," Waikel said. "They can still respond to anything happening on the water, whether that be illegal aliens coming across, whether that be narcotics, or whether it's a rescue of anyone who's out there, we have to be prepared. That means frigid temperatures. It means freezing snowy ice. It means cold water. And then even in the summertime, in these fast-moving parts, what’s submerged under the water. Our environment is a danger in and of itself and our agents must be prepared for it. And it’s our responsibility as an agent to make sure that they are properly trained and that’s what we’re doing today.”

Challenges on the job can look a lot of different ways.

“These are our agents," Waikel said. "They're on the water so often that they encounter not only illegal aliens crossing the river, but also civilians, normal citizens who are recreating on the water that come into distress. So, water rescues are a frequent part of our job."

One thing doesn’t change: these agents' passion for serving their community. Smiling through difficult hours of heavy lifting underwater, they’re happy to be prepared to do the job well.

“A day like this, it's serious training. They take it seriously. They're doing it. They're doing it well. They're learning important things. But I do believe it's important that they have fun,” Waikel smiled.