Then, that horrible low rumble of rushing water.

The pool immediately springs to life. Waves 3 feet tall and higher rise from the previously calm surface – conditions more appropriate to surfing, not swimming.

Even the firefighters seem momentarily caught off-guard.

"Aren't you guys supposed to come and save us?!" a "victim" yells from the deep end.

The rescuers dive forward, but it's not an easy swim. Some climb up one side of the waves and down the other. Others try to dive over the top of them.

"I'm drown-ing! I'm drown-ing! I'm drown-ing!" the victim screams.

The scene playing out in the water is a sharp contrast to the soothing pastel decor at Seabreeze Park's wave pool – all blue-and-green tile and palm trees painted lawn-flamingo pink.

"We came here because of the wave activity," Capt. Joe Manuse said, "the feeling of being out in the ocean."

The Gates-Chili Fire Department has formed a 10-man water rescue team. The members are all Gates firefighters – one career staffer and nine volunteers.

The team practiced in the Seabreeze wave pool last Wednesday night.

"We have the canal that comes through...and the water running along Scottsville Road (the Genesee River)," Manuse said, explaining why the team was created.

A water rescue unit would have come in handy, Manuse said, when the department helped rescue four stranded kayakers on the Genesee River a year or so ago. Two men were standing on a patch of land between a bridge pillar and the river, he said. The other two were in the water, clinging to the land and "hanging on for dear life," he said.

The men were eventually rescued unharmed, Manuse said.

Wearing orange life vests with "Rescue GFD" on the back, team members repeatedly practiced saving drowning victims. Manuse said they are first taught how to protect themselves, because "if we get hurt, we can't save the victim."

They also practiced different maneuvers used to pull people to shore.

Team member John Coval said it's important to keep sight of the victim at all times, so you'll know where they are if they go under. It's also important, he said, to keep some distance between yourself and the victim until "you can grab them where you need to." A panicky victim can be combative and jeopardize both parties, he said.

Coval joined the team because "I know there's a need for it in the town and I wanted to learn."

To qualify, candidates had to be capable of swimming 10 consecutive widths of the wave pool, 30 yards each way.

"That is pretty tough without stopping," Manuse said.

The water rescue team was open to all Gates firefighters, he said, and another class for 10 more rescuers will form sometime this month.