LUDLOW, Vt. – This past Sunday, Jan. 29, the Ludlow, Plymouth, and Proctorsville Fire Departments and the Ludlow Ambulance gathered for a cold water rescue training.
The members of the four departments met first at the Ludlow Fire Station to go over the different equipment of each department and how to use it in the event of mutual aid calls between the towns. The members discussed the protocol for different situations involving someone falling through the ice or being in open water during the winter.
The group then went to Lake Pauline to practice drills on the ice. Members from the departments donned specially made waterproof suits and took turns as both the rescuer and victim. Each department was in possession of an ice/water sled designed for these sorts of procedures. The rescuer would be in their waterproof suit attached by a rope to the sled they are on as well as to the main land before going out on the ice or swimming through the open water towards the victim. Once close enough they would secure the victim to the same rope they were tethered to and would position them onto the sled. Using hand signals they would signal to the crew on the shore to pull them in using the main rope. From there the ambulance crew would have the main charge of securing the patients health. The members from the department took turns practicing on the different equipment each department had.
Everyone at the training was glad for the opportunity to practice these necessary skills together, and thankful for the Ludlow residents who allowed the use of their property for the drills.
The four departments want to remind everyone to stay safe and treat all ice as unsafe ice.