By Bradford L. Miner
Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts)
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
LEICESTER, Mass. — Most ice fishermen on lakes and ponds throughout the region used power augurs to cut holes through a foot of ice or more to set tip-ups this weekend.
Nearly 40 firefighters from departments west of Worcester didn’t have to work nearly as hard, donning dry suits for an icy plunge Saturday through a couple of inches of ice into the neck-deep water of Greenville Pond where it flows under River Street.
“There was a good skim of ice over the channel when we got here this morning,” said Jonathan Plante of the Leicester Fire Department, president of the Quaboag Fire Mutual Aid Association. The organization sponsored the daylong ice water rescue course at the American Legion post up the hill from the pond.
Mr. Plante said of the 37 firefighters attending, some had participated in ice water rescue training for more than two decades and for others, Saturday’s training and icy plunge into Greenville Pond marked a first.
“Invariably, in the weeks to come, someone is going to go through the ice. They may be fishing, they may have ventured out onto the ice to rescue a dog in trouble, and before they know it, they’re through the ice,” he said.
Mr. Plante said the value of bringing together personnel for ice rescue training is immeasurable, because many ice rescue calls are mutual aid calls with different departments sending ice rescue equipment or divers or both.
“It helps when firefighters are knowledgeable about what to expect when they reach an ice rescue scene and are comfortable with working with different kinds of rescue equipment. Some departments have the RescueAlive sleds; others use different kinds of sleds and flotation gear,” he said.
Mr. Plante said the five instructors yesterday were provided by BPC Rescue Equipment.
He said residents in many of the towns represented by the Quaboag association may have heard from an association member asking for donations.
“The money we’ve collected will help defray the cost of this training and additional training sessions planned for this spring,” he said.
“The Quaboag association realizes that local fire departments have a difficult time when it comes to coming up with money for water and ice rescue training, and that’s why we’re asking people to help out,” Mr. Plante said.
He said Saturday’s session, in addition to ice rescue training, provided practice in Critical Incident Stress Management for emergency department dogs and their handlers.
Mr. Plante said the dogs were brought in for the experience of working with the people who would likely be first responders at an ice rescue.