By James B. Bartle
Cutting a hole atop an ice-covered lake with a chain saw and then jumping into the frigid water does not sound like a lot of fun, but it did turn out to be an educational training session for the Sullivan Fire Protection District firefighters on Wed., Feb. 3, as firefighters trained at the Sullivan City Lake in ice water rescue.
For the second time in as many years, Sullivan firefighters braved cold weather and icy conditions to train in what could be a lifesaving class with its second ice rescue training.
According to Sullivan fire chief, Rich White, nine members of the Sullivan Fire Department participated in a two-part class that included two hours of classroom training and three hours of hands-on simulated ice rescue training at the Sullivan City Lake.
“This was a full class training that included both firefighters and water rescue divers,” said Fire Chief Rich White. “This is vital training, especially during the winter months where people get curious about ice on ponds and lakes in the area. Both adults and children should never attempt to walk on an iced over pond, lake or river. You never know how thick or thin the ice really is and this training will allow our firefighters to be prepared for the conditions and events should an ice rescue ever be needed. We hope that we never would have to use this training, but we want to be prepared.”
Chief White reported that the classes were taught by two experienced and well-trained members of the department’s dive team. Firefighter/diver Jason Hoevelmann taught the classroom course while firefighter/diver Cory Rice provided the practical training at the city lake.
Sullivan firefighter, Dave Sumpter, who participated in the class, stated, “This was a very good class and a great learning experience. I figured that I would be very cold, but the wet suits kept you very warm and protected you from the elements as much as possible. The different rescue scenarios were also very educational and brought us some great training should we ever have an ice rescue.”