Firefighters train for icy rescues on North Saskatchewan River
‘This is a very odd year’ with ice shelf much thinner than normal, officer says
Edmonton firefighters plunged Friday into the freezing North Saskatchewan River, preparing for ice rescues in unseasonably warm weather.
“This is a very odd year,” said lead training officer Scott Brochu. “Unlike previous years (at this time), our ice is not safe.”
The annual swift water ice training, which took place in Rundle Park, helps firefighters prepare for water-based rescues with specialized techniques and equipment.
“The ice shelf down in the river is a third, maybe a quarter of the size (compared to) normal years,” Brochu said, adding that people may overestimate the strength of the ice.
“We see people falling through the ice when they wouldn’t have in other years.”
He said there have already been tragedies, such as the death of a sixyear-old boy in Airdrie who died after falling through ice into a canal on Feb. 20. His 10-year-old brother also fell into the icy water and was rushed to hospital.
“I’m a father of five and to see that kind of thing is devastating,” Brochu said.
Firefighters conduct between 40 and 70 water-based rescues every year in Edmonton. Rivers pose a particular challenge, he said.
“Because the water is moving, it cools patients down a lot faster than regular water,” he said. “If someone goes through the ice and the current grabs on to them, they can be pulled underneath the ice shelf ... That’s where we can lose one of our members.”
In warm temperatures, large chunks of ice will break off the shelf, Brochu said.
“Those big chunks of ice weigh thousands of pounds and they can pull people or boats wherever they want them to go, so you lose a little bit more control.”