Winter’s here and that means ice is forming on ponds and lakes around Kingston. That also means the fire department’s getting ready for the inevitable calls about someone falling through.
Kingston firefighters spent time recently going through ice rescue drills. It’s not the kind of thing you want to figure out on the fly when someone’s screaming for help in freezing water. These guys practice now so they don’t have to think about procedures when minutes matter.
Ice rescue training looks pretty intense from the outside. Firefighters suit up in special dry suits that keep them from getting hypothermic themselves. Then they actually go into the water – or more accurately, they break through ice and practice getting people out. Can’t learn this stuff from a textbook.
The whole process follows a specific order that rescue experts recommend. First you try to reach the victim with a long pole or ladder. If that doesn’t work, you throw them a rope or flotation device. Next option is rowing some kind of boat or sled out to them. Going into the water yourself is the absolute last resort because now you’ve got two people at risk instead of one.
Kingston’s getting ahead of the problem. Ice fishing season’s already underway across Michigan. People are out there drilling holes, setting up shanties, spending hours on frozen lakes. Most of them don’t think twice about ice thickness or whether it’ll hold their weight. Then somebody goes through and panic sets in.
The training emphasizes rescuer safety above everything else. Sounds harsh, but firefighters are taught that adding another victim to the situation doesn’t help anyone. You go in prepared with proper equipment or you don’t go in at all. That’s why they’ve got dry suits, flotation devices, ropes, and a whole system for pulling people out safely.
Water immersion in freezing temps is no joke. People can survive maybe 15 to 30 minutes if they’re lucky, but hypothermia sets in fast. Your body shuts down functions to protect your core. You stop being able to move your arms and legs properly. Eventually you can’t keep your head above water. Emergency situations require quick thinking and proper preparation whether it’s ice rescues or other crisis scenarios.
Kingston firefighters practice self-rescue techniques too. What happens if a rescuer breaks through weak ice on their way to help someone? They need to know how to get themselves out using ice picks that attach to their suits. You stab the picks into solid ice and pull yourself up and forward. Sounds simple but it takes practice when you’re soaking wet in 32-degree water.
The department probably runs these drills every winter. Skills fade if you don’t use them regularly. Ice rescue is what trainers call a “high-risk, low-frequency event.” You might only respond to a couple calls all season, but when you do respond, somebody’s life depends on you knowing exactly what to do.
Public safety experts always tell people the same things before ice season. Wear a personal flotation device if you’re going on the ice. Tell someone where you’ll be and when you’ll be back. Check ice thickness before venturing out – four inches minimum for a person on foot, more if you’re driving anything out there. Most people ignore this advice until after they’ve fallen through once.
If someone does go through the ice, bystanders should immediately call 911 and NOT try to rescue the person themselves. Every year you hear stories about good Samaritans who become victims trying to help. They go out on the same weak ice that just broke under someone else and now you’ve got two or three people in the water instead of one. Community safety depends on people understanding their limitations and leaving rescue work to trained professionals.
Kingston’s fire department joining other departments across Michigan in conducting winter training. It’s that time of year when frozen lakes look safe but aren’t always. Ice thickness varies depending on currents, springs feeding the lake, snow cover affecting how ice forms. You can’t just look at ice and know if it’s safe.
The firefighters going through this training probably hope they never use it for real. But they know someone will eventually call about a person through the ice, a dog that wandered too far out, maybe a snowmobile that broke through. When that call comes in, Kingston’s crew will be ready to respond with the right equipment and training to pull it off safely.
Better to sweat in training than bleed in combat, as they say. Or in this case, better to practice in controlled conditions than panic when someone’s actually drowning.
