AMESBURY — Wearing bright yellow survival suits, local firefighters last weekend took advantage of frigid temperatures when they plunged into freezing waters of Tuxbury Pond as part of ice rescue training.
“I applaud my members for taking the initiative to get out there during this cold weather that we’ve had to keep their skills shot in the ice rescue scenarios,” Amesbury Fire Chief Jim Nolan said.
Among the groups to participate in the training was Group 4 led by Lt. Jeremy Bean, who went out last Saturday to Tuxbury Pond.
“We use Tuxbury over by the dam because there is some moving water under there, so it’s easier for us to break through the ice,” Bean said.
The focal point for their training was an inflatable ice rescue boat that served as a home base of sort.
“Then they attach a rope to that with a rescuer, and that goes on either side of the boat. They can approach the victim or the victim can grab onto the ice rescue boat,” Bean said.
To ensure no one is spending too much time in the water, everyone takes turns portraying a firefighter or a victim, according to Nolan.
“You rotate around and you’re a tender for the rope, or you’re a victim, or you’re a rescuer, and everybody does everything that they need to do to keep all their skills up to date,” Nolan said.
He said they usually bring an ambulance with them for the training for people to go change and warm up in as needed.
“Everybody has all their gear on, whether they’re wearing their fire gear or a heavy coat, gloves, hats and stuff like that. We make sure that everybody is protected from the cold,” Nolan said.
While monitoring the health of those completing the training is most important, Nolan noted that they also have to keep a close eye on the boat.
“We have to be concerned about the apparatus being out there in the cold. The pump has to circulate on the engine while it’s idling there. So we have to make sure that we take precautionary measures for our equipment as well as our people,” Nolan said.
Roughly a day after local firefighters were conducting ice rescue training, the body of an Atkinson, New Hampshire woman was pulled from a Hampstead, New Hampshire pond. It is believed 56-year-old Emer Mezzetti drowned after falling through ice covering Big Island Pond.
Nolan said, thankfully, he cannot remember the last time his department needed to rescue someone who had fallen through the ice.
“Knock on wood, we haven’t had a lot of ice rescues, but one is more than we need to have, and we do have people that like to be on the water, they enjoy skating on the ice,” Nolan said.
Looking to keep it that way, he urged folks to be cautious if they are considering going out onto the ice.
“We want to make sure that everybody, if they are going to eventually go onto the ice, that they double check, triple check that the ice is frozen enough that it’s thick enough to support their weight,” Nolan said.
According to mass.gov, it is always best to consider ice dangerous and to take into account factors like water depth, size of the pond/lake or other bodies of water, water chemistry, currents, snow cover, age of ice, and local weather conditions to impact ice strength.
New ice is stronger than old ice, ice does not freeze uniformly, and that ice formed over flowing water and currents is often more dangerous.
Before going out onto ice, it is recommended to tell someone your plans, including where you are going and when you expect to return; carry a cell phone, ice picks and rope with you on the ice; and wear a life jacket, according to the state.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.