VIDEO: Firefighters Practice Rescuing Mock Victim from Icy Water

Although they hope they will never have to use the training, firefighters with the this week practiced rescuing mock patients out of a hole they cut in a frozen residential pond in Glendale. 

By tethering themselves to shore and wearing suits that float, the firefighters rescue a patient by approaching from behind, easing into the water, and attaching the patient to the shoreline. A team on the shore can then reel the firefighter and patient out of the water. 

The department also has poles they can extend into the water for a patient to grab onto, and an inflatable boat they use if the ice is especially choppy. 

But even when firefighters arrive on the scene of an ice rescue, safety is not a guarantee. When North Shore Fire Department Capt John Maydak participated in a real ice rescue at Klode Park several years ago, he said the first firefighter to go out broke through the ice shelf, where it looked like he was still on the beach, before he was tethered to shore. The department had to rescue the victim before then rescuing the firefighter. 

To help you avoid finding yourself freezing in a hole of icy water, the North Shore Fire Department has provided a list of tips on ice safety that you can read . 

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