Bedford And Manchester Firefighters Train On Ice Rescue Skills

MANCHESTER, NH — Firefighters from Manchester and Bedford fire departments joined together for an intense two-day training in ice rescue training.

Ice rescue is a frequent call that many fire departments respond to. Some of the calls involve people who have fallen through the ice, and other calls involve animals that have broken through the ice.

Firefighters learned minutes count in the response, and can literally make the difference in life or death. The safety of the victim be rescued is important but also keep the first responders safe while performing the rescue.

The Ice Rescue Technician training course is a 16-hour programming featuring a combination of classroom and practical instruction.

The course covers topics such as rescuer and team safety, pre-planning, personal protective equipment, patient packaging, recovery, self-rescue, and operation of specialized equipment. It provides the students with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely make ice rescues during an incident.

New Hampshire Fish and Game warn people of the dangers of ice, and open water in the winter months. Many of the incidents involve people, snowmobiles, vehicles, and ATVs that fall through the ice. Fish and Game offers guidelines of what precautions should be taken, but hundreds of calls yearly require a response from trained professionals.

Having firefighters properly trained on multiple shifts allows the assurance of properly trained firefighters to aid in making the necessary rescues safely.

The video offers a glimpse at some of the training by Manchester and Bedford firefighters.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news.