Jason Tidd and Michael Stavola
The Wichita Eagle
SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan. — A local firefighter was hospitalized after falling through ice while attempting to rescue a dog from a frozen pond in east Wichita.
Emergency crews were called at 2:42 p.m. Wednesday to the 14000 block of Whitewood Drive, Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said in an email. That’s near the interchange of Kellogg, K-96 and the Kansas Turnpike.
Sedgwick County Fire District 1 firefighters arrived the housing development, where they found a dog stranded about 30 feet out in a frozen pond, Flavin said. The dog’s owner was also there. The Wichita Fire Department and paramedics also responded to the call.
“After an unsuccessful attempt to get the dog with a rope, crews found a raft to slide onto the ice,” Flavin said. “The ice broke and cut the raft so the firefighter fell into the water.
“The firefighter was rescued by a crewmate and another team rescued the dog. The firefighter that fell in was transported to a local hospital with a shoulder injury. The dog was alive when it was rescued though it later passed away.”
The injured firefighter has since been treated and released from the hospital.
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