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Officials push water safety after teen dies in Licking Co.kayaking accident.Officials push water safety after teen dies in Licking Co.kayaking accident LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — On Sunday, a 15-year-old girl died during a kayaking trip along the Licking River.The Licking County Coroner's Office identified the girl as Brenda Montgomery.Fire crews say Montgomery was kayaking with her foster parents when the group was thrown into the river in an area impacted by high water levels and fast currents.According to investigators, she became caught on a log jam and was pushed underwater by the current.Madison Township Fire Chief Nick Garver was among the first responders to arrive at the scene."It was in an area that had rushing water and that complicated rescue efforts," Garver told ABC 6 Monday.According to rescue crews, the family managed to hold onto a log jam for several minutes after entering the water.Montgomery then became trapped beneath the surface and remained underwater for approximately seven minutes before crews were able to reach her.Authorities said she was wearing a life jacket.Garver said the water levels made rescue efforts difficult and dangerous."We had to fight against the currents, get back to the log jam, and then manually crawl back up to the front of it," Garver said."At that point, she was still under water.We tried everything we could do to keep her head above water." Montgomery was rushed to Licking Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.Emergency crews say water rescue calls have increased in Licking County since the pandemic.They told ABC 6 preparation and awareness can help prevent similar tragedies."If there's any bit of flood water, you can check online to see what the level is," Garver added."If it is above normal, I would recommend that if this is your first time doing it, don't.Go with someone that's experienced, that understands how to navigate these things." Fire officials said their departments have invested in water rescue equipment because of the frequency of these emergencies near and around the Licking River."It's one of the things we encounter a lot and so we have a lot of water rescue equipment and a lot of personnel is trained in water rescue," Garver said.Crews also encourage boaters and paddlers to share their plans before heading out on the water.The Ohio Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate Montgomery's death.Lieutenant Dawn Powell of ODNR's Division of Parks and Watercraft said the incident highlights the importance of matching experience levels to water conditions, particularly during periods of high water."People underestimate their skill level for the body of water that they're on or for the type of water that they see," Powell said."We just need to stay off of water until the water goes down to a safer level." Powell said planning ahead and carrying proper safety equipment are essential before any trip on the water."When we say plan for your trip, we're talking about safety equipment, talking about making sure your skill level does match the style of recreation you wanna do, making sure they have plenty of food and water," she said.ODNR officials are reminding boaters and paddlers to recognize the risks associated with fast-moving water and flood conditions."It's important to understand that there's going to be some additional experience you may need to navigate those waterways," Powell added."Just because the water's going be flowing a lot faster.There's gonna be debris out on the lake, whereas your rivers, because of the high water, and it also is gonna take debris down with you." Garver also urged people to secure personal belongings to avoid dangerous situations."Lots of people get into trouble when they lose something and they want go after it," he said."We recommend having it in a case that's waterproof and that floats and so you can just go on down the river and try to catch it and it's not that big of a deal rather than, oh, where's my phone?" For anyone caught in dangerous waters, Powell said finding a safe place above the current, whether that be standing or finding a lull in the current, could save your life."A lot of people, if they're lucky, can get themselves high enough in a tree to where they're away from the water," Powell added."That would be ideal.Ultimately, you have to wear life jacket.It's not enough to just have them on board.Please wear your life jacket.They save lives." Officials also recommend using online resources, including U.S.Geological Survey water monitoring tools, to check river levels.Data showed the Licking River remained above normal levels following heavy rainfall across Central Ohio last week.