Saturday, March 28, 2015

Ice Ice Baby

Puffer's Pond this snowy morning

In addition to keeping the killer beast fire at bay, at the other end of the spectrum, Amherst Fire Department also deals with another potential killer for us folks living in New England: falling through ice into freezing water.

 AFD has a total of 6 protective suits (which are easy to spot against white background)

Wearing special suits that allow for submersion in freezing water pretty much all day long and using an ice sled with team members holding attached ropes, a three or four person crew can make short work of getting someone safely to shore.

 Captain Sterling (center) wearing one of the older red suits (not to be confused with Star Trek crew member)

This morning's drill was a make up for one scheduled five weeks ago when the ice on Puffer's Pond was too thick to cut through.  Most of Puffer's is still frozen except areas where tributaries come into the pond.
The ice sled, donated by the Amherst Rotary, folds up for easy transport

Firefighter Sarah Roe proudly shows off new turnout gear

Skill training can make a life or death difference. Not only for the victim, but the first responder as well.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great exercise. Glad the AFD was able to train. You never know when the skills gained will help.

Anonymous said...

Is this blog on ice, too?

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, usually thin ice.