Although Cochrane Fire Services was trying to hold off doing their recertification of ice rescue training to the beginning of April, the recent warm weather conditions upped their plan.

The first of four platoons headed out Wednesday afternoon (March 27) to get updated on re-certification in case a call for help comes in. While our local department, thankfully, has not had to perform any ice rescues to date, residents should feel safe knowing that our fire department is ready to go at any point.

Inspector Jeff Avery says each platoon will head to a different stormwater retention pond to update and review their training techniques. “We see how long it takes if we did get an ice rescue call; from the time the page comes in, until the time we get up here to get all our gear on, to rescue the victim out of the pond. It’s always a good thing to practice. With any luck, hopefully, we’ll never have to respond to an ice rescue call, and we’re going to continue fighting that fight of making sure people stay off the ponds.”

Running through a variety of techniques, Avery says they keep themselves updated so that when a call for help comes in, they are prepared. "We have great equipment, we are well trained, and it's just a matter of practicing."

When it comes to saving a life of someone who has fallen through the ice, Inspector Avery shares every second is critical. Depending on which area of town the call comes in from, Avery says they move as fast as they can to get geared up, with the right equipment. "I know if someone is watching or has made that 911 call it seems like forever and time stands still when you are waiting for someone to be rescued. But the one thing we ask is that nobody ever goes out onto the ice to try and rescue the person with no gear because statistics show that usually the people that goes out to help ends up becoming a victim themselves. We know that you want to do good and want to help, but the best thing you can do is stay off the ice and let the fire department go out and get that person."

There is no good time to be on the ice, but right now is critical. "There are pockets of water, and water is starting to form around the sides. This is also the time, I find, when kids get more curious and want to go down to the ponds and throw rocks to see if they can punch throw the ice. Parents really have to watch their children around the ponds or even just walking along the edge, because it can be slippery."

When it comes to calls pertaining to community members walking on ice surfaces they shouldn’t be, Avery gets striaght to the point. “We attend over 1000 calls a year as a fire department, and a lot of those calls are accidents, they are unavoidable, and that is why we do the job we do. But when it comes to ice rescue, I look at it as an incident that is 100% preventable. For there to be no calls; it is simple, stay off the ice and we'll never have to respond."