The St.Malo Fire Department is asking people to stay off the swollen Rat River.

(Rat River at Lambert Road)Fire Captain Yvan Catellier says with all the rain in recent weeks, the river is at or near flood level and the current is unpredictable. He asks people to stay off the river with kayaks and canoes.

"It looks like the trees that typically during the summer you can probably get underneath with the kayak or canoe, I'm expecting you can't get underneath those anymore," he says.

Catellier is not at all suggesting the Rat has never been higher on the 4th of October, but he says he can not recall in his lifetime ever seeing it this high at this time of year. Catellier says the river is still relatively within its banks, but there is a current and a lot of swirling.

According to Catellier, the St. Malo Fire Department has been called to a few water incidents in recent years.

(Rat River near park entrance)And, though they have not dealt with any water rescues yet this fall, Catellier says this warning to residents is a proactive move, not reactive.

The St. Malo Fire Department has spent a lot of time and effort in fundraising for water rescue equipment. And though they have the tools in place, Catellier says they do not yet have all the necessary training.

"Although it does seem like we do have all the equipment we need for a water rescue, we aren't necessarily trained for an incident like this, especially not on the river that's pretty high and has a pretty aggressive current like right now," he says.