Rescuers work to save people, animals from icy death

BIG LAKE -- Members of the Mat-Su Dive/Water Rescue Team looked like creatures from another planet last weekend as they padded onto Big Lake's icy surface in bright red neoprene foam immersion suits.

The air temperature was 11 degrees at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 20 when a couple of team members purposely dropped through ice near Fish Creek's current just south of Big Lake Lodge. They were the first "victims" during an afternoon of surface ice rescue practice. Big Lake and Meadow Lakes fire department personnel, along with some dive/water team members, had already completed a morning classroom session on proper techniques led by dive/water team chief Ed McCain and deputy chief Ron Durheim.

But just a few minutes into the field session, things went from controlled practice to real-world emergency.

"Dog in the water!" someone yelled. Thirty yards away from the group, a dog had plunged through rotten ice and began paddling frantically in the frigid water. It tried to pull itself up onto an ice shelf, but the layer broke.

The dog, a large mixed-breed with heavy fur, had trotted up to the red-clad visitors only minutes earlier, apparently curious about the odd-looking group. After the requisite sniffs, the dog ambled away while everyone else concentrated on the task at hand.

Dan Bush of Wasilla, a new dive/rescue team member, was closest when the animal fell, so he grabbed a wooden pole with a cord loop on the end and cautiously crept toward the dog.

Rescuers should try to put the sling around one leg as well as the neck, Durheim had said an hour earlier while demonstrating the technique at the Big Lake fire station. That helps reduce pressure on the neck, which could possibly cause injury. This dog was having none of it, though. It was scared and treated Bush as if he were an adversary.

After a couple of misses, Bush got the loop in place and twisted the pole slightly so the dog couldn't slip out. Then he eased the frightened animal out of the water onto the ice. A nearly textbook save had been accomplished. The dog shook itself off, then headed to shore where its owner -- drawn from his home across the street by all the commotion -- stood watching the drama unfold.

McCain grinned at Bush's resolve.

"This guy here was fighting us," he said. "They do have teeth and claws. It was good we had that stick."

Reach, Throw, Row, Go

Rescuers try to expose themselves to the minimum amount of risk possible when plucking someone from the ice. "Conditions dictate procedures," Durheim said.

"We're able to take more risk on a rescue than a recovery," McCain added.

If the victim is close to shore, reaching out with a tree branch, fence pole or something similar may allow them to grab on and be pulled to safety.

If that's not possible, the next best plan may be tossing a throw-bag -- a bag with rope inside that rescuers also use in swift water situations. Thrown accurately, the rope unfurls and serves as a life line to hang onto as rescuers pull the victim ashore.

"Rowing" means the rescuer leaves the shore but stays above the surface in case the ice breaks. Staying above the victim and out of the water gives the rescuer more control. The volunteers practiced this approach with a dive kayak for certain situations.

If none of these options works, the rescuer may have to swim through the water to reach the victim. It's obviously the most dangerous method.

Most of the practice session at Big Lake focused on the latter situation. With a "victim" in a hole, the rescuer approached from behind and used a carabiner to clip the victim onto a rope held by others onshore. Durheim emphasized the need for rescuers to give firm direction to the person in trouble.

"You have to take control," he said. "They have to do what you say."

The area where the practice session took place is notorious among rescuers. Because of the current, it doesn't freeze as well as other parts of the lake.

"We usually do a booming business right here with people going into the water," Durheim said.

Fishing cars out of the lake isn't uncommon, he said, because people simply underestimate the ice's strength.

This afternoon, several snowmachiners buzzed from the lodge toward the middle of the lake. Durheim watched and said, "This is really crappy ice. Those snowmachiners out there are pushing it. People think it must be safe become someone else made it through."

The dive team hasn't had to pull anyone from water this season or for several years now, Durheim said. Having survived the early stages of freeze-up, he anticipates the next couple of months will be relatively stable before danger increases again late in the season when ice starts to melt.

"Last year it was dog after dog," said McCain. "I think we did nine. We recovered several of them dead."

The team responds to pets in danger, he said, in hopes that owners won't try to rescue the animals themselves. What begins as an animal situation can quickly turn into a human tragedy, McCain emphasized.

He recalled a rescue 15 years ago in the Meadow Lakes area that illustrated the point. A man had gone out in a canoe to get a stranded dog, McCain said, and successfully retrieved the animal. But in its agitated state, the dog jumped out and capsized the canoe, tossing the man in the water, too. Both survived.

Protective suits needed

When rescuers do have go into water, they're well protected by immersion suits that provide warmth, and some buoyancy, while also allowing a degree of dexterity to the rescuer. Putting the suits on is no easy chore, especially when time is critical. Before heading out for the lake practice, volunteers timed themselves at the Big Lake station to see how quickly they could don the gear. Jeff Brown accomplished it in just 36 seconds, beating the one-minute goal.

The protective suits aren't cheap, either. The neoprene kind that rescuers call "gumby suits" cost $450. Fire departments from Sutton to Talkeetna have the suits, despite their cost. More elaborate dive suits worn by dive and rescue team members cost $1,800, plus an additional $350 for special underwear.

Suits must be "burped" to push out excess air. And a mouth guard is fastened to cover the nose and mouth when on ice to prevent inhaling water in case the surface unexpectedly gives way.

The dive suits' neck must fit

so tightly the wearer feels a gag reflex. Otherwise, water will find its way inside.

"If it's not uncomfortable, it's not tight enough," Durheim said.

All that has to be done fast because minutes count when a rescue is under way. McCain said they talk about a "golden hour" of opportunity to save someone, but in reality it's more like 40 minutes. A person has five or 10 minutes before their hands become so numb they can't grasp a pole or rope, he said. They may be able to live another 30 minutes.

Rescuers are taught not to give up even if there's no pulse. CPR should be administered immediately because some victims have completely recovered after 20 minutes of arrest during hypothermia. Extreme cases have been reported in which people lived after being submerged in cold water as long as three and a half hours, according to printed materials Durheim uses for classroom sessions.

Those completing last weekend's surface ice rescue technician session and earning certification included Lori Miner, Big Lake Fire Department; Stephan Jacobson, Big Lake Fire Department; Julie Parker, Big Lake Fire Department; Michieal Salmon, Meadow Lakes Fire Department; Adam Ferrett, Big Lake Fire Department; Doug Ferrett, Big Lake Fire Department; Daniel Mitchell, Meadow Lakes Fire Department; Rex Henson, Meadow Lakes Fire Department; Jess Brown, dive/rescue team; and Dan Bush, dive/rescue team.

Durheim noted the organization is changing its name to Mat-Su Dive/Water Team to reflect the increasing number of river rescues, particularly as more people flock to the Knik River for summer recreation. Dives are actually a small part of the total number of operations performed each year, he said.

The dive/water rescue team serves as trainer for Mat-Su fire departments. While volunteers from Big Lake and Meadow Lakes departments got their surface ice rescue training last week, firefighters from other departments will get their chance in upcoming sessions.

Everyone seemed enthusiastic about dropping into the cold water last weekend. No one complained and at least one person was ready for more when Durheim called a halt.

"I want to get back in the water and fool around," Brown said. "I didn't feel cold at all."

"It's actually colder outside the water," Mitchell added.

Durheim and McCain say it takes a certain breed to volunteer for ice-rescue duty. Usually they're people who already volunteer for other types of rescues. The common traits are bravery and common sense, they say.

"This is just new tools in new situations," Durheim said.