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Panic replaces the jubilee of the outdoors after a person falls through the ice and struggles to stay afloat in the frigid waters of a frozen lake.
Many fire departments — including Burlington’s — train for such an emergency. Firefighters of yore have been transformed into an all-emergency elite unit, equipped and trained to respond to all kinds of disasters.
“It’s preparing for the worst and hoping it does not happen,” said Capt. Jim Whitaker of the Burlington Fire Department shortly after a group of firefighters finished a series of ice rescue exercises Monday afternoon at Izaak Walton Lake.
Jason Wagner, a firefighter, played the part of a fisherman who had fallen into the water after the ice broke.
As soon as Wagner was in the hole, a firefighter, wearing a special insulated cold water rescue suit, called out, “are you hurt? Don’t worry, we’re going to send some people to get you.”
Communication is important so the victim can remain alert while fire crews conduct the rescue operation.
The suit is designed for rescue operations in extreme cold water and ice conditions. It features a face seal and flap, attached gloves, waterproof zipper and sealed seams and reinforced knee and elbows.
One by one, firefighters approached the victim, constantly calling him with assurances that every thing will be OK.
One vital part, a key to a successful approach is for the rescuer to stay low, crawl if they must, to distribute their weight on the ice.
The fireman was attached to a rope, and other crews were holding the other end, ready to pull the victim and the firefighter to shore.
Going to the victim is one thing and harnessing is another as the steps taken must be precise, consistent and decisive.
Upon reaching the victim, the rescuer goes from behind, uses a rope to attach the victim to him, then signals for the rest of the crew to pull.
Getting anyone out of frigid waters, like most other emergencies, is time sensitive.
In most cases, hypothermia sets in quickly, said firefighter Phil Schneider.
“We need to get there as fast as we can. And as safely as we can,” he said.
Schneider calculated five, eight minutes tops.
Citing the proximity of several bodies of water, the need for such a rescue may arise at a moment’s notice.
“These are techniques we’ve learned,” Whitaker said. “We’ve been lucky we have not used them”
The captain said the best advice to follow when going ice fishing or ice skating on a frozen lake is “don’t go if it’s not safe,” meaning four inches of new clear ice is the minimum thickness for travel on foot; five inches for snowmobiles and ATVs and eight to 12 inches for cars or small vehicles, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
“And always have someone with you,” he said.
Although the exercise went smoothly, granting the brisk and Arctic-like conditions at the lake, firefighters agreed the real thing may not be as easy.
There is a lot to take into consideration like ice breaking on the rescue effort, panicked-stricken victim and equipment failure, to name a few.
Be it a fire, or weather-related disasters, the ability of the responders lies on how well prepared they are to deal with any situation, firefighters said.
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