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ALTON - The Alton Fire Department picked a perfect time on Wednesday morning to do some ice/water rescue training on a lake at Gordon Moore Park.
Temperatures were rising and the ice was melting, but remained an inch or inch and half thick and could be the last time this season the firemen could train in this kind of situation.
Deputy Chief Mark Harris said when the department gets this opportunity, they try train in it once a year.
“This is the real kind of ice people break through,” he said. “We are trying to get as many of our people through this kind of training as we can. I don’t think we will have enough ice to train on tomorrow, so it is good we are doing it today (Wednesday).”
Capt. Matt Fischer said with the ice conditions on Wednesday, it is easy for someone to break through walking on it, which can create a life-threatening disaster.
“We discourage people to go out on the ice, but we try to be ready to rescue any victims with our equipment,” he said. “We teach our people to first reach and throw with a ladder, branch or rope. We go in the water and ice as a last resort. The cold ice suits we are wearing are warmest in water. Some of the people we try to rescue go in with street clothes on and expend all of their energy trying to get out of the hole they are in.”
Alton’s Fire Department constantly trains for different types of conditions and this is just one more example in the year.
“We try to get out here when we have ice,” Fischer said. “It is a training opportunity and we do it when we can.”
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