Chester Fire Department conducts ice rescue training

<span>On the night of Jan. 20, roughly 15 members of the Chester Fire Department ventured out to Jimmy Joe Maes Lake for ice rescue training.</span>

<span>Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert said the department has been called out to rescue a deer and a dog in icy waters in the past 10 years, but not a human.</span>

<span>"Like all practice and training, if we don't practice, we're not prepared," he said. "We learned a few new techniques."</span>

<span>Bert said his department purchased new ice rescue equipment last year, including four rescue suits.</span>

<span>"We kinda try to catch it when there's ice on the lake," Bert said. "They did (training) last year when there was was cold water. It's nice to have the equipment if needed."</span>

<span>During training, Bert said one firefighter would play the victim in the lake, while another would be in an air-inflated rescue boat, commonly referred to as a "banana boat," sent out to rescue him.</span>

<span>"Banana boats are boats that have an opening on each end," he said.</span>

<span>Each firefighter got a turn playing both the victim and the rescuer.</span>

<span>"It went real well," Bert said of the training. "The ice was breaking a little bit, which is ideal for training if an animal or small child had fallen in."</span>

<span>According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death for children 1 to 14 years of age and the fifth-leading cause for people of all ages.</span>

<span>In water 32 degrees and colder, exhaustion or unconsciousness sets in in less than 15 minutes.</span>