Spring is a season of renewal, so it’s fitting that the Carman Dufferin Fire Department (CDFD) recently took advantage of the melting season to revisit some of its practices concerning ice rescue training.
“Basically, we just wanted to refamiliarize ourselves with our equipment,” says CDFD Fire Chief Chris Lemky. “It takes quite an investment, as far as equipment goes, to be proficient in ice or water rescue training. We wanted to refresh ourselves on our gear and our practices and make sure that we are prepared should anything happen.”
Preparing for ice rescue
Chief Lemky says that although the training at Boyne River did not have anyone in the water, fire fighters took to the ice with their equipment for exercises.
“We were just processing a scenario should somebody fall through and what that would look like and how the teams can mitigate that and manage that,” he says.
What to do if you fall through
Chief Lemky reminds the public that as temperatures rise, ice becomes weaker.
The temperature change means that frozen bodies of water have become hazardous.
“We don't encourage people to be on the ice at this time of year when things are starting to melt,” he says.
“If somebody does find themselves in that situation [and they] happen to fall through the ice into the cold water, one of the best things that people can do is not panic.”
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Chief Lemky says the next steps are to “relax,” get one’s arms on top of the ice, lay one’s head onto the arms, and once almost level with the ice, kick to push back out of the water.
“If you can get yourself out, it’s important to stay flat and crawl out so that you hopefully don't fall through again,” he says.
According to Chief Lemky, the CDFD is working on other training programs in addition to the ice and water rescue training. He encourages the community to follow the department’s Facebook page for details and updates.
With files from Robyn Wiebe