Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
County emergency responders are now equipped to safely respond to ice-rescue situations.
Sunday, two participants from each county fire department attended ice-rescue training at Center Lake. There, the men learned to use new equipment provided to them by a grant from the Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation.
Six ice-rescue sleds and 30 exposure suits were dispersed throughout the county. Each fire department got two suits and the sleds were distributed so they are located in close proximity to the county's lake areas.
County emergency workers discovered the need for such equipment after a 2003 incident when two ice fishermen fell through the ice on a lake in the Barbee chain. At that time, Warsaw Police Department was the only county department that had ice equipment and training, though they were not called to help in the rescue.
According to Doug Light, an officer at WPD and the dive team's leader, it was after that incident that the county realized how badly they needed ice-rescue equipment available for all departments.
After the incident, Light saw pictures of rescuers on the ice, trying to save the men. The rescuers were nearly falling into the ice waters themselves.
"We almost turned two in the ice into four or five," Light said.
The rescue attempt was successful, both in saving the men's lives and spurring action to solve the local need. Light consulted Mike Cox, a Warsaw Police officer and Winona Lake volunteer firefighter who took the problem to Kosciukso County Fireman's Association.
The association approved Cox's idea to request grant money from K21 to cover equipment costs.
K21 approved the grant and gave the departments about $30,000. An employee of K21 also helped get lower equipment prices by bargaining with the seller and made the grant money go farther.
With the new equipment and training, both officers feel the county will now be safer and response times to ice emergencies quicker.
Sleds, which have two floaters and hand rails, allow a rescuer to walk on the ice and not fear breakage. If the ice does break, the person is caught by the floaters and will only expose his/her feet to the ice waters. They also include a victim harness that allows a rescuer to strap a victim to the sled and take them to safety.
The suits, called "gumbie" suits, are made of neoprene, and keep their wearers warm and dry despite their exposure to freezing lake water and ice.
Light recalls wearing a suit in icy waters for about three hours during a rescue and remaining comfortable the entire time.
The suits and sled go hand in hand, Light said. Each adds to the effectiveness of the other.
Sleds will be located at Warsaw, Plain Township, Pierceton, Etna Green, Burket and Claypool fire departments. Warsaw Police Department and North Webster Fire Department already have the equipment and Syracuse Fire Department has alternative equipment that works similarly.
To keep safe on the ice this winter, Light urges the public to only go on the ice in pairs. He also says "If you don't know, don't go," meaning if you are not certain the ice is safe, do not go on it.
Freezing water is extremely dangerous. When the body temperature drops just two degrees a person become mentally disoriented and the muscles become rigid after about an eight degree drop. Death sets in when a person's core temperature reaches 80 degrees fahrenheit, or about 18 degrees below normal.
How do you know if the lakes are safe? There is no certain indicator, but some general guidelines say that until the ice across a lake is frozen to a solid three-inches thick, it cannot support even two men. At four inches, it is usually safe for ice fishing.
Ice thickness varies lake to lake, and even within lakes depending on conditions, therefore extreme caution is advised.
"We feel strongly about protecting the community we live in, Cox said. "(Ice rescue training) is one way we fill a need."
"It couldn't be done without the K21 foundation," Light added.
