Icy exercise: Firefighters take the plunge

• Firefighter training for ice rescues
• Key tip is to get yourself out first
• Crews always prepared

An onslaught of snow didn't stop Fire Station No.1 members from performing ice rescue training for the 2022 season.

About half a dozen members showed up in specialist gear at the Kelowna Golf and Country Club. The frozen water feature near the clubhouse made for a perfect simulation site to test techniques and tactics.

Fire Station No.1 handles all ice rescue calls across the city.

Lieutenant and Regional Ice Rescue Trainer Shawn Wudrich said there are several steps taken when it comes to making a rescue.

“The big thing for us is scene assessment, figuring our where our patient is, how we access them and what kind of condition they’re in,” he said. “Our guys ask questions when they get there and that allows us to determine what our methods are for getting them out of the ice.”

The crews were observed rescuing a test subject. That essentially involved a rope line hooked onto the rescuer who then swam out to the subject. Once in control, a two-person crew on dry land pulled the couple to shore.

Wudrich said anyone who has fallen into frozen water should call for help but also try to get out if they can. There’s a technique for that.

“Get your arms up, kick your legs to try and get yourself out the best you can. Go back to the place you fell in because that ice held you up until that point,” he said. “Then don’t try to lift yourself up on the ice, try to get yourself off, kick and roll away from the hole. Spread your weight evenly over the ice and then get far enough away that you can stand up and get away from the opening.”

Though Kelowna doesn’t get a lot of calls for people falling through the ice, Wudrich said they are "high risk, low frequency" situations.

“It’s not something we commonly get, but our guys have to be prepared to get moving and be able to do this proficiently because time is a very critical component when we’re talking about someone submerged in the ice,” he said.

There have been no ice rescue calls this year.