Article Launched: 02/19/2007 11:38:33 AM EST
Framingham firefighter Lt. Thomas Rinoldo demonstrates proper technique for ice rescues during a training session at Windsor Lake on Saturday. The training was hosted by the North Adams Fire Department and put on by the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. Photo by Ryan Hutton/ North Adams Transcript Monday, February 19
NORTH ADAMS — A dozen or so firefighters in brightly colored thermal suits were trying to stay warm under the afternoon winter sun Saturday as they stood in the slushy ice on Windsor Lake, waiting to rescue someone.
The two chosen to be rescued slipped through the holes cut in the 18 inches of ice covering the frigid waters of the lake, better known as Fish Pond. Slowly shuffling onto the ice and dropping on all fours, their rescuers approached cautiously and took turns practicing methods for recovering a victim who's become trapped.
"I give a lot of credit to them for showing up on such a nice day," said Mark McCabe, technical rescue coordinator for the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy. "They came here because of their desire to learn something new and to be better at their profession."
The North Adams Fire Department had invited the academy instructors to teach a two-part class on rescuing someone who has fallen through ice, a perilous winter hazard. Starting at 8 a.m., firefighters from across Berkshire County, including from Lenox, Florida, Savoy and Cheshire, arrived at the fire station for the classroom portion of the training, which included
the different techniques and methods for surface-ice rescue.
According McCabe, the first factor in a rescue is sizing up the situation to ensure no one else falls through the ice, such as onlookers, would-be rescuers or other firefighters. He said the class covers the four basic ways to rescue somebody and, more importantly, the proper way for a firefighter to rescue himself or herself.
"A firefighter is useless if they go out to save someone and can't even save themselves," McCabe said. "And a firefighter will likely fall through unexpectedly because of the conditions that led to the victim falling through."
Later in the afternoon, the firefighters took turns sliding into the holes cut into the ice covering the lake and using the methods they had learned in the morning to get themselves out. They bobbed and rolled their way onto the surface of the ice, used ice picks to pull themselves up and or were pulled out by a team on the surface.
Academy instructor Thomas Rinoldo told them that the most important part of the rescue is not to become a victim. He stressed that if anyone is uncomfortable going into the water during a rescue, there is plenty to do as part of the shore support team.
The firefighters then drilled in each of the four ways to rescue someone else. On the shore, they practiced coiling and throwing ropes as far as possible. Other methods included sending out an inflatable hose and using a boat as platform for pulling someone out. McCabe said the most important is the "go method," which involves putting on a dry suit (a thermally insulated suit that covers most of the body) and actually getting into the water.
"That method is the most commonly used in the United States because of the condition the victim is in by the time the fire department is dispatched," McCabe said. "Hypothermia sets in fast and by the time the call is made and the department arrives, the person is already too exhausted to hold onto a rope or a hose."
McCabe said that while the go-method is the most common, fastest and efficient, it is also the most dangerous because it involves getting into the water. That was why everyone who went into the water was wearing one of the brightly colored, waterproof dry suit, most of them form fitting with rubber-soled boots attached.
The instructors jokingly said North Adams firefighters Lt. Joseph Beverly and Alan Richer were brave because they were wearing older "Gumby suits," nicknamed because the one-size-fits-all, bulky suit resembled the claymation character. Beverly said one of the suits is more than 25 years old but still works fine. However, he said the department is looking into buying two newer suits.
McCabe said he was very pleased with how the training went and that it was reflective of every training session he attends in Western Massachusetts.
"Their positive and eagerness to learn came through in the way there were asking tons of questions in the classroom," he said. "That challenges the instructors and shows the firefighters are really thinking about the topic and not just waiting for (the class) to end."
McCabe said he also gives the North Adams Fire Department credit because of its commitment to arranging the class and the training location.
Beverly said the training was such a positive experience, the department was hosting another academy session in March on hazardous material identification and response.
"Like every class I've taken with the MFA, the instructors were very well versed on the topic and they made a really good effort to present both an educational and practical class," Beverly said. "There were new techniques we hadn't known about that we'll now hopefully incorporate into our own training. Their use of hoses as tools and the use of a raft were interesting and hopefully we can get our hands of some equipment like that through future funding."
He said that even though his department has its own ice rescue drills, the session was a great tool for the department.
The academy holds sessions like this up to five times a year, and more upon request. McCabe said departments should practice the skills they learn on a regular basis. Beverly said North Adams trains for ice rescues and keeps its skills honed despite the lack of ice accidents in the city.
"I can honestly say we have not had an ice rescue that I am aware of in the 17-plus years that I have been here," he said. "We've gone into the water after people before, but never when it was frozen over. People are pretty smart about that around here."
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