Firefighters train for ice rescue on Faribault Daily News

Faribault firefighter Chad Kreager uses ice picks to help pull himself out of the pond at White Sands Dog Park. He was part of the ice rescue training held Thursday night. (Photo provided)

The frigid temperatures over the past couple of months would suggest that ice on area lakes and rivers is plenty thick, but the Faribault Fire Department isn’t taking any chances.

Local firefighters completed their biennial ice rescue training Thursday night on the natural pond at White Sands Dog Park. Some members of law enforcement also participated.

With the number of lakes and rivers in the immediate area, the probability is there that someone will need to be rescued, said Dan Collins, acting fire and code services director for the city.

The number of times they’ve had to respond to such a need is very few, but when you need them, you need them right now, he said.

The fire department carries the ice rescue equipment “right on the rescue truck,” said Capt. Todd Rost, who is also a certified ice rescue trainer. “So we can get dressed (in the suits) on the way to the call and almost instantly make contact with the victim.”

Typically, people break through the ice early in the season, but poor ice conditions also present a danger.

“There may be an aerator under an area, or fish, or a spring,” Rost said, leading to uneven ice thickness.

Time is of the essence, he explained, “because if they become hypothermic, they tend not to be able to do anything for themselves.”

That could put even more people in danger.

“The top priority is rescuer safety,” he said. “We don’t want to have this be a multiple-victim rescue. I’ve seen it where someone (broke through ice), the person who tried to help them broke through, then another and another. I think they ended up with seven people in the water.

“That absolutely can’t happen,” Rost continued. “Our rescuers can’t die.”

That’s why Thursday’s training was so important.

“The last resort for us is getting in the water,” he said. “First, we’ll try to get (the victim) some ice picks, so they can self-rescue. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try to reach out with a stick or a pole to help pull them out, then we throw a rope” as a final attempt.

After that, Rost said, “it’s a ‘go’ rescue, meaning we go in the water and make actual contact with the victim.”

The ice rescue suits make the rescuers more buoyant and offer “a considerable amount of thermal protection,” he said. The fire department has eight of the suits available to responders.

“Hopefully, they’re only out there for a matter of minutes, and they’ll be out of the water and back inside warming up,” Rost said.

Thursday night’s air temperature hovered right around zero, he said, “but the water was actually about 39 degrees.”

The darkness proved to be a useful factor in training, also, Collins said, “because you can’t pick when you get called out” for a rescue.

In addition to carrying ice picks to aid in a self-rescue and using a chisel or auger to check ice depth, Rost has this advice:

“You have to assume all ice is unsafe until proven otherwise. For us, ice is bad until we know different.”

• Don’t remove your winter clothing. It won’t drag you down, but can trap air to provide warmth and flotation.

• Turn toward the direction you came; that’s probably the strongest ice.

• Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. This is where ice picks, sharpened screwdrivers or nails will provide the help you need to pull yourself up onto the ice.

• Kick your feet and dig in the ice picks to work your way back onto solid ice. You may need to let the water drain from your clothes.

• Once out, lie flat on the ice and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out.

• Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area immediately. Call 911.

— Source: Minnesota DNR

— Staff writer Kay Fate may be reached at 333-3128.

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