Orange Firefighters Train For Ice Rescue

ORANGE, CT — Orange firefighters spent the weekend honing their skills at pulling drowning victims out of icy ponds and streams across town, according to a news release provided by the Orange Volunteer Fire Association.

"Orange is speckled with lakes, ponds, streams, pools and other water hazards," Fire Chief Vaughan Dumas said in a news release. "Winter weather makes the water more dangerous, and our teams must be ready to rescue anyone who gets in trouble."

According to Lt. Dan Abrams, a departmental training officer, pulling someone out of an icy pond is a lot different than jumping into a warm swimming pool.

For the victim, the shock of falling in can be fatal. If not, it only takes about 10 minutes for the cold water to disable even a strong swimmer, Abrams said.

"As the primary rescue agency in town, we've used donations we've received to invest in the equipment needed for ice-water rescue," Abrams said in a news release. "Every year, we practice to make sure we're ready."

On Sunday, firefighters used Wright's Pond to practice. After a classroom session earlier in the week, firefighters donned special cold-water suits and used ropes, sleds and other equipment to practice getting the job done.

Whether on the shore or in the water, everybody had a job and got to practice it in winter weather, Abrams said.

"Firefighters today respond to a wide variety of hazards, not just fires," Dumas said. "We are ready to serve the people of Orange in any emergency, whether it's a fire, a car wreck, a hazardous materials spill or a cold-water drowning. We have to practice responding to all of these emergencies and Sunday was our time to practice cold-water emergencies."