Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — Every year those on the ice of the ponds and lakes are at risk of falling through.
The Rapid City Fire Department and the Water Rescue Team prepare each year for rescuing those who fall through the ice.
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Ice incidents are a low frequency, but bring with them potential life-threatening results, this is why officials say keeping up on this training is so important.
“It’s very important to make sure that everybody is on the same page. That’s why we do it once a year, we do a refresher, we get out there and we get the suits on. We put everybody through them, everybody gets on the suits and everybody takes turns being the one that’s running the incident, and going out and performing the rescue,” Fire Operations Division Chief Brian Povandra said.
These trainings cover each stage of a rescue, and also include tools to help while in the water.
“We practice with our rescuers self-rescue first so they’re up to date on that. And then we go from self-rescue to rescuing a victim out of the hole,” RCFD Station 3 Lieutenant Eric Hansen said. “And then we get out different equipment and different devices that are an option for rescuing somebody.”
Once someone falls through, the difference between life and death is minutes, so rescue needs to be done as soon as possible.
“Anytime somebody is in the water, they’re losing heat substantially faster than if they’re just standing in the air,” Povandra said. “Once you’re wet you lose body heat at a tremendously increased amount. So getting them out and getting them into some place warm and getting them to an ambulance and to the hospital is hugely important.”
“As fast as possible, as efficiently as possible. It’s something that again we’ve been training for,” firefighter Austin Goddard said. “Getting out there, calming that person down, getting them on top of the ice and getting them out, but the elements definitely add to this whole procedure.”
Ice thickness can change each day depending on how cold it gets during the winter months in South Dakota.
“Our winters here, our temperatures are up and down constantly through the ice season and so we just want to remind people that no ice is safe ice and just be aware of what the ice condition is on the body of water you’re planning to get on,” Hansen said.
Rescuing someone, or diving under is only possible with the assistance of those on land guiding and communicating with those in the water.
“You know, getting out here, getting this hands-on training, that’s what really makes or breaks us,” Goddard said. “To get these reps in so that when it’s time to go live and someone does fall through the ice we know where we’re supposed to be, we know how to act and we can do that properly and efficiently.”
With the Black HIlls offering so many bodies of water, several agencies throughout the area are prepared to assist and rescue.
“We have many volunteer agencies around the city that are capable of doing ice rescue,” Povandra said. “We’ve done a lot of training with those volunteers throughout the area. If there’s a lake or body of water in their jurisdiction, they’re getting the training, they have the equipment and they know how to do it.”
According to the Cottleville Fire Protection District, around 250 people die each year from ice related incidents in the United States. Something the Rapid City Fire Department are hoping to reduce.
