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Album: Training |
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Album: Training |
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In late January, 2005, members of WRFD were among the students attending an Ice Rescue class which was held by the Reading Fire Department Underwater Rescue & Recovery Squad. The 16-hour class spanned two days. The first day was entirely classroom instruction. The second day was hands-on training. Photos from the second day are below.
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A staging area is set up where the instructors go over the day's exercises in detail and thoroughly explain all safety precautions that are to be taken. |
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In this photo, the instructors show the students how to "sound the ice" with an ice staff, a very useful tool which can be made at home and can save one's life on the ice. Sounding the ice indicates thick and thin areas to the person traveling on the ice. |
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The students follow as they are shown. The red suit being worn by this student is a cold water immersion suit, designed to keep the wearer warm, dry and afloat in very cold water. |
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The students are told to prepare for the ice to break underneath them. The ice was not actually breaking, but if it were, the proper procedure would be to crawl on one's belly, to distribute one's weight across the ice and decrease the chances of ice breakage. |
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The best thing that can happen to a person who falls through ice is if the person can rescue himself. Here, students practice rescuing themselves from the ice, first by using only their forearms to drag themselves out. |
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The next self rescue technique is to use another home-made lifesaving tool, a pair of ice awls, to dig into the ice and pull oneself out. |
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Last, the students learn to rescue themselves using the ice staff. The pointed end of the ice staff digs into the ice and provides traction for the student to pull himself out. |
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If the person in the ice can not rescue himself, a rescuer is needed. This rescuer has thrown the webbing loop on his ice staff to the "victim." The loop gets wrapped tightly around the victim's arm. The rescuer is attached to a safety rope to shore. |
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When the signal is given by the rescuer, tenders on the shore who are assisting the rescuer begin pulling the rescuer's rope line. |
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Both the rescuer and the victim are pulled to safety. |
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Another rescue method involves the rescuer entering the hole in the ice behind the victim. The end of the rescuer's safety line gets wrapped around the victim. |
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Again, the signal is given and together, the rescuer and victim are pulled to safety. |
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