Ice training for city firefighters
MARQUETTE– The Marquette City Fire Department is getting a little extra training just in case they need to respond to someone who needs to get out of an icy situation.
The Marquette City Fire Department is being trained in the skills and equipment needed to rescue people trapped under the ice this week.
Firefighters learn the skills in the classroom and then take them on the ice to practice with the Coast Guard.
Representatives from both the Coast Guard and Fire Department say it’s important to have everyone up to speed on the techniques they use.
“It’s important because our area of operation is fairly large; we cover from all the way up to the Huron Islands over to Grand Marais,” said Coast Guard Officer Timothy Koscielny. “Our travel time can be fairly lengthy trying to get from Marquette, say out to Munising.”
“It’s good to have because, you, we don’t really have a long time to get a person out of the water; It’s a short span before they’re not gonna survive,” said Marquette City Fire Department Engineer Dan Pruner, “So the quicker we get there we can improve that time getting them out.”
The Coast Guard works with many different departments and the goal is make sure everyone is trained equally across the board. If you find yourself going through the ice, it’s important to remember to stay calm.
And make sure to wear a life jacket, because drowning is more of a danger than hypothermia.