The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
RISKY BUSINESS
Mentor Fire Department prepares for worst when it comes to ice rescues
Mentor Fire Department’s annual ice rescue training is kind of like insurance.
It isn’t used often, but is crucial to have in an emergency.
The entire department receives some form of training on water safety, ice rescue and hypothermia.
“Because we have 241 ponds, Lake Erie, swimming pools, experience flooding and have the Lagoons, we train all our shifts in water rescue techniques,” Fire Chief Robert Searles said. “At a minimum, everybody is trained on how to respond to water rescues.”
Crews were out at area retention ponds for such training the week of Feb. 8 — one of the coldest of the year. That was not intentional, the chief said, but the training does require thick ice.
“Training in harsh conditions can be a good thing because, oftentimes, we are called out in the worst conditions,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we have to train for the worst-case scenario and this means knowing how to safely enter the ice without making the situation worse.” — Mentor Fire Chief Robert Searles
Slippery slope
Ice rescues are low-frequency, high-risk scenarios that are best accomplished
from the shore, if possible, the chief said.
“Unfortunately, we have to train for the worst-case scenario and this means knowing how to safely enter the ice without making the situation worse,” he said.
Along with rescue techniques and hypothermia, training topics include safety and common fatal mistakes, ice rescue equipment, cold-water near-drowning and good team management.
He noted that the key is proper training combined with a well-executed plan that employs the appropriate equipment and is based on the assumption that no ice is safe.
“Ice conditions are highly variable and can change quickly due to weather conditions and water currents,” Searles said. “Too many times, would-be rescuers underestimate the danger of water and become victims themselves. … This, coupled with a risk of hypothermia and the need to act quickly, makes ice rescues challenging.”
Cold water will rob the body of heat 25 to 30 times faster than cold air, and because time is of the essence, training as a team is paramount, Searles said.
“Ice water rescue is among the riskiest tasks that we get called to perform, and because we don’t get called often makes it even more dangerous,” he said.
Ice education
The department has done much to educate the public on the risks, including producing a video in 2016 called “No Ice is Safe Ice.”
“Whether it’s kids out playing or someone walking their dog, the idea to walk out on the ice is very alluring,” said Public Education Specialist Jerry Craddock, a member of the dive team for 30 years.
While some areas may appear to have thick ice, it can become thin quickly, especially at the shoreline or the area surrounding an object sticking out of the ice like a branch, he said.
“If you do find yourself in a situation where you have fallen through the ice, know that initially you will experience an uncontrollable gasp … like turning on the cold water in the shower and stepping in,” he said. “Our experience with this is you need to get your breathing under control. It is a myth that you will immediately go into hypothermia and die.”
Research shows us that an individual has anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes before succumbing to hypothermia.
In addition, he recommends reaching for an object nearby, if possible, to try and stay above water, and yelling for help.
If the victim is unable to “self-rescue,” the department attempts to reach them with a ladder or send out a 70-foot rope with a “throw bag” on the end to grasp onto.
“The final thing would be to go out and rescue the victim,” Craddock said. “(The rescuer) is tethered and wraps a sling around them, and the guys on shore would pull them in.”
Well-equipped
The department’s ice rescue equipment has come a long way since they wore “Gumby suits.”
The city has purchased 14 Marsars Mustang Commander suits at about $1,200 apiece.
“You’ll actually float in the water,” said Deputy Chief Ron Zak, who oversees department operations.
“They’re warm. You actually can sweat in them. Your eyes and nose are sealed up. They’re fun to use and train in.”
The suit is made of a urethanecoated nylon and equipped with spring-loaded ice awls in the arms
that activate when smacked on the ice.
“The spike grabs the ice so you can pull yourself out just using your hands,” he said.
On thin ice
While the department does relatively few ice rescues, they usually involve animals when they do.
In many cases, it is waterfowl with feet frozen to quick-forming ice, but there have been calls for stranded dogs and deer as well.
Searles recalled an incident involving a goose several years ago. A number of observers wanted to walk out onto the ice to help the struggling bird, but someone summoned the fire department.
“They had the right equipment and training to enter the thin ice and free the goose that was then taken to Penitentiary Glen,” he said, adding that the greater concern was that people would make a rescue attempt.
“We have had other victims of ice rescues during my career, but this one stands out because I believe that somebody would have fallen through the ice if our water rescue team wasn’t called.”