BIG BEND - Several dozen police and fire officials from four different departments responded to the call for a New Berlin family whose canoe capsized while they were canoeing in the Fox River just north of the Vernon Marsh. The family went canoeing Saturday, just hours after this weekend's heavy rains ended. Chief Phillip Buchholtz of the Big Bend Vernon Fire Department said the family's canoe capsized after it hit a downed tree. Both parents were stranded. "They were in the middle of the river hanging on to some foliage, some debris in the river," Chief Buchholtz said. The current was so strong the couple couldn't swim to shore. Instead, they clung to the overhanging tree for over an hour and a half while rescue workers tried to get them back to shore safely. Rescue crews found them thanks to their son, who called 911 after he made it safely to shore. The couple wasn't hurt, but was relieved. "They were happy to be on shore again," Buchholtz said. The Chief is now urging everyone, even boaters familiar with the Fox River, to be careful. "Be aware of the conditions," Buchholtz said. "All the rain we had Friday and Saturday. Even if you know the river real well, with high water, those situations have the tendency of changing and becoming more hazardous."