Local fire fighters take part in ice rescue training
By Bruce Rolfe
While firefighters in the area do not face many calls for ice rescues, training for that type of call remains important.
Because a warmer winter the last two years prevented members of the Climax Township and Galesburg-Charleston Township fire departments from participating in ice rescue training, the two local fire departments jumped at the opportunity January 28 when ice conditions on Portage Lake at Cold Brook Park were favorable.
A large square hole was cut into the ice. Firefighters are equipped with wet suits. One firefighter gets into the ice cold water playing the role of a person who fell through the ice and another firefighter assists from behind.
Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Chief Kevin Roomsberg said initially, firefighters will ask the person who fell through the ice if they can crawl up on the ice, allowing the victim to save themselves and preventing the need for firefighters to enter the water.
Roomsberg adds firefighters may throw a disc shaped object attached to a rope to the victim in the water.
If in water assistance is needed, a firefighter will go onto the ice with a rope that has a big ring with a clip at the end, get into the water and wrap the rope with the harness type object at the end around the person that fell through the ice. Firefighters on shore then pull the rope and the victim, along with the firefighter who is also attached, out of the water.
While the victim is in a highly stressful situation, firefighters emphasize remaining calm is important.
Climax Township firefighter Jenna Audette said when the local fire fighters are training for incidents like an ice rescue, the fire fighter is constantly thinking about possible scenarios when they begin a rescue. She adds during the ice rescue training January 28 there was six to eight inches of ice, however that may not always be the case.
“We ran through different tactics for each situation, whether that be an exhausted patient, a panicked patient, thin ice, or hard to access patients. We are however trained to know how to help ourselves in the case where one of us may go through the ice. The biggest take away for me whether you are the victim or the rescuer, is to stay calm and communicate with your victim or team as to what you are doing,” said Audette.
“When you walk out there you’re reassuring them (the victim) that you’re there to help. We always practice when we go out, you have them (the person who fell through the ice), look towards shore and then we come in from behind them. That way we’re not getting right in their face. That way we can see what they’re doing so they don’t surprise us. Come up from behind them, reach around them and clip the harness. We’re clipped to the rope and the harness is clipped to the same rope, so we’re kind of tethered together with them at that point. When we give the signal to pull, we kind of boost them up onto the ice. Once they’re up on the ice then we kind of pull right up behind them,” explained Roomsberg.
Fortunately, the local fire departments have not been called for many ice rescues, but when they have been called, the training like they went through January 28, is important.
“You want to be prepared because when it does happen, guys are familiar with the equipment, the operation and how to set things up so things work out right,” said Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith.
Smith adds another part of the training is getting used to the wet suit. He said because the wet suits are buoyant, the rescuer’s feet can come up, making it important to stay in a vertical position.
“This training is very important for us because the temperatures are constantly fluctuating where we live. You can never be too careful when it comes to being on the ice,” adds Audette.
Roomsberg remembered his department and Comstock Township rescued a man who was ice fishing on Woods Lake in Charleston Township that had fallen through the ice.
The ice rescue calls aren’t limited to humans. The local fire departments networked to successfully rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice on Portage Lake at Cold Brook Park, and Climax Township assisted rescuing a dog on another occasion. Several years ago the Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department helped get some deer that had fallen through the ice on Blue Lake, out of the water.
“It’s very rewarding. To save somebody or some thing’s life. You did everything possible to do that. That’s why I have emphasized during the annual training to try to keep yourself refreshed on this stuff. It means so much,” said Smith.
Roomsberg adds for an actual ice rescue involving a human, Climax Township and Galesburg-Charleston Township are called as part of a mutual aid agreement. The dive team is called, and Comstock Township Fire Department is also typically called because the fire department is manned and also have water rescue equipment.
Smith emphasized the importance of knowing ice conditions before going out on the ice.
While firefighters in the area do not face many calls for ice rescues, training for that type of call remains important.
Because a warmer winter the last two years prevented members of the Climax Township and Galesburg-Charleston Township fire departments from participating in ice rescue training, the two local fire departments jumped at the opportunity January 28 when ice conditions on Portage Lake at Cold Brook Park were favorable.
A large square hole was cut into the ice. Firefighters are equipped with wet suits. One firefighter gets into the ice cold water playing the role of a person who fell through the ice and another firefighter assists from behind.
Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Chief Kevin Roomsberg said initially, firefighters will ask the person who fell through the ice if they can crawl up on the ice, allowing the victim to save themselves and preventing the need for firefighters to enter the water.
Roomsberg adds firefighters may throw a disc shaped object attached to a rope to the victim in the water.
If in water assistance is needed, a firefighter will go onto the ice with a rope that has a big ring with a clip at the end, get into the water and wrap the rope with the harness type object at the end around the person that fell through the ice. Firefighters on shore then pull the rope and the victim, along with the firefighter who is also attached, out of the water.
While the victim is in a highly stressful situation, firefighters emphasize remaining calm is important.
Climax Township firefighter Jenna Audette said when the local fire fighters are training for incidents like an ice rescue, the fire fighter is constantly thinking about possible scenarios when they begin a rescue. She adds during the ice rescue training January 28 there was six to eight inches of ice, however that may not always be the case.
“We ran through different tactics for each situation, whether that be an exhausted patient, a panicked patient, thin ice, or hard to access patients. We are however trained to know how to help ourselves in the case where one of us may go through the ice. The biggest take away for me whether you are the victim or the rescuer, is to stay calm and communicate with your victim or team as to what you are doing,” said Audette.
“When you walk out there you’re reassuring them (the victim) that you’re there to help. We always practice when we go out, you have them (the person who fell through the ice), look towards shore and then we come in from behind them. That way we’re not getting right in their face. That way we can see what they’re doing so they don’t surprise us. Come up from behind them, reach around them and clip the harness. We’re clipped to the rope and the harness is clipped to the same rope, so we’re kind of tethered together with them at that point. When we give the signal to pull, we kind of boost them up onto the ice. Once they’re up on the ice then we kind of pull right up behind them,” explained Roomsberg.
Fortunately, the local fire departments have not been called for many ice rescues, but when they have been called, the training like they went through January 28, is important.
“You want to be prepared because when it does happen, guys are familiar with the equipment, the operation and how to set things up so things work out right,” said Climax Township Fire Chief Scott Smith.
Smith adds another part of the training is getting used to the wet suit. He said because the wet suits are buoyant, the rescuer’s feet can come up, making it important to stay in a vertical position.
“This training is very important for us because the temperatures are constantly fluctuating where we live. You can never be too careful when it comes to being on the ice,” adds Audette.
Roomsberg remembered his department and Comstock Township rescued a man who was ice fishing on Woods Lake in Charleston Township that had fallen through the ice.
The ice rescue calls aren’t limited to humans. The local fire departments networked to successfully rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice on Portage Lake at Cold Brook Park, and Climax Township assisted rescuing a dog on another occasion. Several years ago the Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department helped get some deer that had fallen through the ice on Blue Lake, out of the water.
“It’s very rewarding. To save somebody or some thing’s life. You did everything possible to do that. That’s why I have emphasized during the annual training to try to keep yourself refreshed on this stuff. It means so much,” said Smith.
Roomsberg adds for an actual ice rescue involving a human, Climax Township and Galesburg-Charleston Township are called as part of a mutual aid agreement. The dive team is called, and Comstock Township Fire Department is also typically called because the fire department is manned and also have water rescue equipment.
Smith emphasized the importance of knowing ice conditions before going out on the ice.
Bob Bryant and Mark Wilson are pictured above during ice rescue training the Climax Township and Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Departments participated in January 28 at Cold Brook Park.
(Photos courtesy of Kevin Roomsberg)
The following ice safety recommendations is provided by Michigan.gov:
• Your safety is your responsibility! There is not a reliable “inch-thickness” to determine if ice is safe.
• You can test ice thickness and quality using a spud, needle bar or auger.
• Strongest ice: clear with bluish tint.
• Weak ice: ice formed by melted and refrozen snow. Appears milky.
• Stay off ice with slush on top. Slush ice is only half as strong as clear ice and indicates the ice is not freezing from the bottom.
• A sudden cold front with low temperatures can create cracks within a half-day.
• A warm spell may take several days to weaken ice, and cause the ice to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.
• Ice weakens with age.
• If there’s ice on the lake but water around the shoreline, be extra cautious.
• Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.
• Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.
• Keep an eye out for dock bubblers or de-icers as the ice near these mechanisms will be unsafe. Always check the ice and be aware of your surroundings.
• Your safety is your responsibility! There is not a reliable “inch-thickness” to determine if ice is safe.
• You can test ice thickness and quality using a spud, needle bar or auger.
• Strongest ice: clear with bluish tint.
• Weak ice: ice formed by melted and refrozen snow. Appears milky.
• Stay off ice with slush on top. Slush ice is only half as strong as clear ice and indicates the ice is not freezing from the bottom.
• A sudden cold front with low temperatures can create cracks within a half-day.
• A warm spell may take several days to weaken ice, and cause the ice to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.
• Ice weakens with age.
• If there’s ice on the lake but water around the shoreline, be extra cautious.
• Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.
• Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.
• Keep an eye out for dock bubblers or de-icers as the ice near these mechanisms will be unsafe. Always check the ice and be aware of your surroundings.
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