BOZEMAN — On a frigid day like Monday, people aren't really out on the ice as much as just avoiding the cold temperatures. But that doesn't mean that people are stopping themselves from enjoying sports on the ice—which is why Bozeman Fire is also preparing by practicing ice rescues.
Bozeman firefighter Paul Arnold participated in his first ice rescue training with the department after joining Bozeman Fire last August.
“Call 911, it's their worst day. It's their nightmare. And so, we're going into people's nightmares all the time,” says Arnold. “It's paramount that we know our gear and are familiar with our gear. So, when we do these scenarios, every time we do it, it's a chance to get all that gear out, put it all on, know how I'm going to use it."
Steven Thime is Bozeman Fire’s Training Captain and led the simulation of someone falling through the ice.
“We will get a call from people out on the ice because obviously people are worried about people being on the ice,” says Thime. “There’s ice, there's underwater, there's above water.”
Thime says they practice for all situations of people ending up on the ice.
“We have had rescues for domestic animals as well as humans in the past,” he says.
While people may enjoy ice fishing or skating on the ice, the fire department's best recommendation is to stay off.
“To know before you go, really, to know how thick the ice is and whether you're going to be able to stay on,” says Thime. “Our best advice to people is just to stay off the ice, that that they don't belong on the ice.”
The fire crews say they aim to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
“Imperative that when we do a rescue, if it's real-time that we've done it before. And that's not the first time that we've done it,” says Thime.
