黑料福利社

YAKIMA, Wash. 鈥� As temperatures hovered in the 20s Wednesday, some local firefighters decided it was a great time for a swim in the pond at Sarg Hubbard Park.

This wasn鈥檛 a New Year鈥檚 Polar Bear Plunge. Instead the firefighters 鈥� members of the Yakima Fire Department鈥檚 technical rescue team 鈥� were practicing how to save someone who falls through ice into frigid water.

Wearing insulated dry suits, about five team members took turns jumping into the freezing water, either as the victim clinging to an ice shelf who needed rescue or the rescue swimmers coming to help. On the shore, others handled the ropes bringing the rescuer and 鈥渧ictim鈥� back to shore.

Ice rescue doesn鈥檛 happen too often.

Yakima fire Lt. Joe Burbank only recalls about two rescues in the past 19 years 鈥� but the team, which includes firefighters from the U.S. Army鈥檚 Yakima Training Center and the Naches Fire Department, wants to be ready when it does happen. So, when there鈥檚 ice on ponds, they take advantage of the situation for training.

Burbank suspects there have been undocumented cases of people falling through ice on Yakima鈥檚 lakes, ponds and rivers, but they were able to rescue themselves without calling for help.

But falling into near-freezing water can be deadly.

鈥淎nytime we have ice, people want to go out and walk on it,鈥� Burbank said. 鈥淭here is no such thing as 鈥榮afe ice.鈥� Even if it is thick, it can start cracking, and you can be in real trouble.鈥�

When someone falls into cold water, they can quickly lose control of their limbs, as muscles and nerves stop working. That makes trying to swim or get out of the water on your own impossible, Burbank said.

Which is why he recommends people who go ice fishing wear a personal flotation device. It might not provide warmth it will keep someone from drowning.

Yakima鈥檚 rescue swimmers wear a urethane-covered nylon insulated dry suit, covering all but their faces. The suits are watertight, unlike wet suits, and use the wearer鈥檚 body heat to keep them warm while providing enough buoyancy to support 330 pounds.

The department has a dozen of the $1,300 suits, with one kept with each engine company to ensure there will be at least a couple immediately available in an emergency, Burbank said.

Unlike other water rescue operations, rescuers usually have to walk or swim out to the victim, Burbank said. The department鈥檚 jet boat, which is used in other rescue operations, is not much use in ice conditions, as ice could be sucked into its propulsion system, he said.

Jack Kanning, a team member from the training center鈥檚 fire department, said being in the water in the suit is not a problem, until water hits his face and he gets a feel for how cold it is. Wednesday, he said he had icicles on him when he got back to shore.

Growing up Alaska and Idaho, Kanning said working ice rescue meant having to unlearn some basic rules he was taught as a child.

鈥淲e were told to stay off the ice, you might fall in,鈥� Kanning said.

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