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ICE RESCUE TRAINING
We train every year for what is considered a high-risk low incidence rescue. Normally it takes place in January when the temperature is low and the ice is thick, but the firefighters realized that the probability of someone going through the ice at that time of year was less likely than when the ice had started to thaw and had started to honey comb. Late February and early March would seem the most likely time for someone to push the envelope and conditions would be at there very worst for the crews to make a rescue.
So here we are March 8, 2009, on Kelly Lake, with temperatures hovering in the low 30s and persistent rain. Crews from all three fire stations of Burton Fire and Rescue in conjunction with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team took part in the annual ice rescue training.
During this five-hour training, which started with a breakfast cooked by the crew, every firefighter who wanted to take a turn in the water playing the victim had the opportunity to do so. Those who participated took three turns spending about 15 minutes in the frigid water surrounded by broken ice. A large part of the training is the safety of the rescuers and making sure no one has the chance of getting hypothermia, this is guaranteed with the wearing of special dive suits, called “Gumby” suits. While we hope we never have to put this training to actual use, we are confident our citizens will have the assurance that we are as prepared as we can possible be.
