Donning wetsuits and fluorescent flotation devices, firefighters practiced rescuing people trapped in icy water Monday night.
“We’re reviewing our skills to perform an operation in case we had to in an actual scenario,” said Kensington Fire-Rescue Chief Jeff Pajor. All four of the town’s volunteer departments engaged in the training at Paper Goods Pond and Silver Lake.
Chiefs from the other three departments, South Kensington, East Berlin and Berlin, could not be reached for comment.
Utilizing hooks to pull chunks of ice out of their way and sleds attached to ropes, crews worked to simulate rescuing someone who had fallen through ice, with one of their own volunteers to be saved and taking the plunge into a hole sawed into the ice.
Pajor said such situations can be very dangerous for victims, who can quickly succumb to hypothermia.