'Practice until you can’t get it wrong,' first responder ice training motto

NAPLES — While they haven’t had to rescue anyone who has fallen through the ice in the past couple of years, local rescue and law enforcement crews want to be prepared just in case.

That’s why the South Boundary Fire Department, along with Boundary County Search and Rescue and other local fire departments did ice water training off the boat launch at McArthur Lake in the beginning of March.

SBFD Chief Tony Rohrwasser said that the SBFD have not had to rescue anyone that has fallen in the ice in years, but that the departments follow the motto “practice until you can’t get it wrong.”

Rohrwasser said that the typical situation is that someone falls through the ice after a sunny day before another freeze. When approaching the victim, first responders do not engage the person in the water right away, but access their situation.

When someone is in the water and talking, Rohrwasser said they have enough strength and are all right. The first responder does not want to make the situation turn dire by causing the victim to be put in a worse situation, by pushing the rescue too fast. If the victim is still talking, then first responders know to take their time instead of rushing into a situation.

“We come in behind the victim, because typically they are upset, or sometimes they are drunk,” Rohrwasser said.

In the training, first responders practiced being the rescuer and the victim in the water. To make the situation realistic, those in the water would try to grab the rope the rescuer was attached to, since someone who is drowning will tend to grab at anything they can.

The victim in the situation is stressed and can be dangerous to the rescuer, Rohrwasser said. The victim is sort of lassoed by a sling, which is placed under their arms; once attached, the pair then roll across the ice to distribute the weight.

The rescuer will get the victim into the position and to get them out of the ice, Rohrwasser said. They will then be dragged back far enough and support the victim’s head. The rescuer is clipped into the rope with assistance on the shore, he added.

“Typically when we have a situation like this, the first person that makes contact with the victim will stay on a dock or another safe area and keep them talking while gaining more information,” Rohrwasser said. “They will not leave that post until we have somebody else out here.”

“We always try to keep in communication with them, because if we do a rescue too fast, by using our throw, the victim could miss the rope and sink into the water. You’ve made a bad situation worse,” he said. “Going out to the victim is the last result.”

Which is what the first responders were practicing. First responders follow the “reach, row, go” rule. If they can reach the victim with a pole, or with a throw bag, they do that. First responders will then use row boats to help the victim and then, if necessary, will venture out onto the ice or into the water.

“Realistically, you don’t want to put anyone else in that situation if you don’t have to,” he said.

The departments have not had to do an ice extraction this winter, but they stick by their motto of “practice until you can’t get it wrong.” Rohrwasser said that more often the SBPD has had to get animals out of muddy areas and waterways.

“We want the animals safe, but also don’t want the habitat to be damaged or contaminated,” he said.

To keep animals safe, check that all fences and animal barriers are in good condition and maintained, especially during the muddy spring months.