By Dave Choate
The Hampton Union
HAMPTON FALLS, N.H. — It was, in many ways, a normal wintry Saturday at Whittier Pond. The snow was swirling on blustery winds, the ice was thick, and the air was frigid. The only thing out of the ordinary was the man in the bright red body suit feeling his way across the pond with an 8-foot pole, looking for a place he could fall through.
This is the opening stanza of the annual Hampton Falls Fire Department ice rescue training, with several volunteer firefighters clad in the red survival gear that the department jokingly refers to as “Gumby suits.” Over the course of a couple of hours, trainers Greg Bolduc and Leo Roy from Innovative Fire Training Solutions, from Chester, worked with firefighters from Hampton Falls and Kensington to conduct the training.
“Last year the ice was so cold and thick we had to find a thin spot and then use the chain saw,” said Bolduc.
Full Story: Local firefighters practice rescue skills