Denver Fire Department crews train for icy rescues but still urges, "Stay off the ice"
On Sunday, the Denver Fire Department went out to Rocky Mountain Lake to mimic practices and procedures of ice rescues.
Because Denver sees its fair share of rescues every year, the department makes sure its crews are equipped in handling those scenarios by re-running trainings. These annual ice rescue trainings allow the teams to build on what they already know.
"The water today is really cold, we're protected in this suit, we really don't feel the effects of it," said Marc Jonez, a DFD technique training the crews. "This is about safety, and ultimately we're talking about the patient's safety today. We look at this as a medical call for us. We try to put ourselves is the mindset of those victims that are in the water. The hypothermic events set in really fast."
On New Year's Eve, a man fell through the ice in Harvey Park while walking out to grab his dog.
"It's a huge issue. People get overconfident about the ice," said JD Chism, public information officer for DFD. "The big problem is when we're out, we take out dogs for a walk, and then there's the geese or the ducks on the ice, and then our dogs get loose, and they run after it. Then the next thing you know the dog is in the water."
DFD also uses drones for ice rescues because of their thermal and infrared capabilities. Jonez said many times people believe the ice is thicker than it actually is.
"One of the concerns we have is when we have really warm temperatures, it will actually cause that to thaw, then when snow or freezing happens overnight again, the ice is actually weakened," said Jonez. "The reality is it's very dangerous."
Officials are warning people to stay away from frozen bodies of water this winter, because of the dangers they pose.
"Stay off the ice," Chism said. "If you happen to find your pet or someone in the water, call 911, get the fire department out there. We will get there quickly, and we will get them out."
