It was not exactly a dark and stormy night, but Centre Wellington firefighters quickly discovered it was a rather chilling one.
On Jan. 21 the local department conducted ice rescue training on the Grand River between the old mill condos and Confederation Park by Gartshore/Scotland Street.
Local firefighters braved not only frigid winter weather, but icy waters as well – to learn how to better save lives.
“There is quite a bit initially involved in the training because it is considered a technical rescue skill – which not all fire departments do,” said Wellington County fire training officer Jonathan Karn.
He explained ice rescue “is over and above what normal fire fighting would entail,” involving several hours of training with very specific standards and skills firefighters must learn.
“Beyond that, there is annual skills training. It’s what we do every year,” Karn said.
He noted Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue has in-house instructors who continue upgrading their skills through the Ontario Fire College.
“They bring back what they’ve learned,” he said. “It is about four to six hours of training every year to stay current on their training.”
Equipment involved in ice rescues includes dry suits, special rescue-style life jackets, ropes, etc. – “which you obviously just can’t buy at the local (hardware store).”
Karn added, “In Centre Wellington, there are a number of areas where the need is there – ice or swift water rescue.”
He noted the department’s rope rescue program trains at the Elora Gorge in the summer.
“We’ve actually had calls where we’ve had to go out onto the ice to rescue people,” he noted.
Karn said there have been incidents on Belwood Lake, plus Centre Wellington firefighters have used their skills to assist other fire departments in the area through the mutual aid program. Those departments may not have the training or equipment for ice rescue.
“That’s where we are kind of unique in Centre Wellington. Unfortunately, we do get the calls,” he said.
Karn explained it “may seem odd” to residents to “see firefighters cutting holes in the river to ‘play,’ but the calls come in at the beginning and at the end of winter when the ice is thin. And that is when people are potentially falling through.”
He noted training is not just used in the winter months, but in the summer as well.
“There are a tremendous amount of tubers who now go through the gorge so a lot of times it is a combination of a water rescue and a rope rescue,” Karn clarified.
He added a lot of equipment the department now has, can be used for both types of rescues. The dry suit shell has an inner fleece-like liner which can be removed for use in warmer weather.
“It’s nice to have equipment which can do both, rather than buying equipment for the winter and the summer months,” Karn said. “The guys really enjoy the training and the department has the right equipment.”
He noted training is somewhat longer for the new recruits because there is quite a bit of theory taught before firefighters enter the water, including the effects of hypothermia and how to treat patients.
“Dealing with someone in the water is a lot different than a common medical call,” he said.
