Sheriff's Department Ice Rescue Training

It may look like winter, but the ice conditions are not safe.

That’s the word from the Houghton Police, the Coast Guard and other agencies.

Proof of that — an incident Wednesday in which a Minnesota man lost control of a snowmobile.

He was able to jump off the machine before it went into the water and through the ice.

He was lucky, but for the unlucky ones, rescue teams are always at the ready.

Today was a day for the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department to practice ice diving rescue scenarios.

Crews from County Search and Rescue took turns getting into teal lake.

They went under the ice to run through a checklist of tasks.

Capt. David Lemire says the crew members perform the exercise once a year to make sure they’re prepared for any incident they might have to handle during the course of a winter.

Marquette County Search and Rescue currently has seven officers who also specialize in diving rescue.