VIDEO & PHOTOS: Lakewood’s Emergency Agencies Conduct First-Ever Joint Cold Water/Ice Rescue Training

ice rescue teamEXCLUSIVE VIDEO & PHOTOS: For the first time ever, the Joint Emergency Services Support Unit (ESSU) of Lakewood – which consists of the Police Department, EMS, Volunteer First Aid and Hatzolah today came together as a joint training session to practice a response in a cold water / ICE rescue condition.

The ESSU teams simulated a response for a person who fell through the ice and was not able to self extract themselves from the water. The team, which trained on the lakes of Original Leisure Village, entered into the water with the new cold water suits, practicing patient approach on the ice, securing rescue equipment to the patient and communicating with the responders on the shoreline via hand signals.

“Patients who are in cold water below 70 degrees will become Hypothermic very quickly and during the fright and the changes in mentation, the water rescue teams practices securing the patients in the water with floatable slings, tethered rope and spine board retrievals,” says EMS Supervisor Scott Carter.

The recent swing in weather conditions makes the Ice look solid and safe but in reality is very unstable and will quickly crack and / or give way placing a person in the frigid water with difficulty pulling themselves out. The ESSU training today gave the rescuers the opportunity to work in ice that is not quite fully frozen adding additional response techniques that needed to be deployed in order to successfully reach and retrieve a person.

ice 3“Safety is the most important thing we train under and through education and practice, we hope that others will realize that Ice is not a safe environment and causes more hazardous than fun,” Carter says. “Education starts at the family level expressing to those that just because one person was seen on the ice it is OK for others. The more the ice is stressed the easier and quicker it will break, sending someone you may know into the water.”

Committeeman Lichtenstein, who serves on Hatzolah and as the Liaison to Emergency Services in Lakewood, commended the join effort.

“This is a fantastic job of agencies in our town once again working together and participating together to benefit all our residents,” Lichtenstein said.

ice 4The Committeeman also cautioned that in no way should such a training serve as an endorsement for people to go onto the ice.

The collective EMS divisions in Lakewood would like to remind you “No ice is Safe.” [TLS]


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6 COMMENTS

  1. Yes I know ice is really seriously not safe!! But if the town really thinks so,then there is way more protection that has to be done! Besides for writing it in papers, not everyone gets the papers not everyone reads the papers n not everyone remembers wen the time comes n they want to have’fun’!!!
    what I think has to be done is PUT RED CAUTION TAPE AROUND THE LAKE WHEN IT FREEZES AND WRITE KEEP OFF ! ITS DEADLY!!! PLEASEPLEASE SOMEONE TAKE ACTION AND PUT UP BIG BRIGHT WARNINGS BEFORE SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PUT THEYRE LIFE THRU DANGER ITA ALMOST LIKE COMMITING SUICIDE!!

  2. TS

    as the article states it neds to start at home with family education. Do you really think people of this town are going to pay atention to the tape. How many times do you see people of this town walk through a caution police line just because, how many times do people drive through closed roads blocked by emergency vehicles. Lets take some responsibilities as parents and adults. I agree there needs to be more signs of danger in these water ways. it would clearly reduce the townships liabilkity which will in the long run keep down our tax dollar to be spent somewhere else.
    i applaude the responders for being ready as you know its the right way and than there is the lakewood way.

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