Ice Rescue Training Begins

[Wrightwood]

[ForestGal]

Wow John, thanks for posting these incredible pictures!  I'm a member of the Timberline Lions Club, and I attended both the general meeting, and the board meeting, where we voted to donate the money for these ice rescue suits.  The suits were demonstrated briefly at a Fire Safe Council meeting that I attended, after they had attained these suits, and a more thorough demo was presented at the next Lions general meeting.  But to see this in action, versus what they can show us in a warm, dry, room - HOLY COW!!! 

I wish I had been able to see this trial of the equipment at Jackson Lake.

This makes me extra proud to be able to call myself a Lion!   

[kk_gizmo]

Wow. This makes me extra proud of Wrightwood and its citizens. To step up like this is pretty rare in this day and age.

[SkierBob]

neat stuff!

the guy in the first picture still looks cold 

[Rumpled]

Looks like a good use of donations for some very necessary equipment.  Hopefully the equipment and training can be put in use in time to prevent some of those tragedies.

As a former beach lifeguard, I gotta say that looks like lots of fun training.

[kawasaki_girl]

That ice wasn't very thick... I remember reading recently where someone spotted some snoplayers on ice! That blue disc in photo #6 looks like a snow disc.!!

[makgirl]

What's the procedure for a call like this?  I mean, if they get a "fall through the ice" call, it must take quite awhile to get those suits on and get to the lake.  By then, my guess is the person would be dead.  How does it all work?

[SkierBob]

What's the procedure for a call like this?  I mean, if they get a "fall through the ice" call, it must take quite awhile to get those suits on and get to the lake.  By then, my guess is the person would be dead.  How does it all work?

I think you've got it.

But people have spent some amazingly long time submerged in cold water and survived.  The extremely cold slows down the body functions.  So I guess you even die slower in cold water.

[Wrightwood]

Getting the suits on takes only a few minutes. Getting there in gridlock conditions is another issue 

[SoCalGal]

That very brave and chilly guy in Pic #1?  I think his name is "New Guy"!

[Wrightwood]

Each guy said that they were very warm and comfortable in the new dry suits. Not one of them mentioned being cold.

 The guy in photo #1 is actually Battalion Chief Filter 

[SoCalGal]

Wow!  Those suits must be better than I can imagine.....and talk about leading by example - excellent job, Chief Filter!

[ForestGal]

Today there was a full-blown demo of the ice rescue suits at Jackson Lake, and the Timberline Lions Club was invited to attend, proudly wearing our vests.  It was quite a thrill to witness this event, talking to the firefighters who demonstrated the equipment, and actually to have been asked if I wanted to participate (I politely declined).     I actually saw myself, for about 0.02 microsecond, in the news broadcast on channel 7 (ABC) 5:00 news this evening!   

One of the firemen told me that they are so warm in those suits, that they are actually perspiring when they come out of that frigid water.

Now, if the rescue people can just get to Jackson Lake, with the predicted gridlock this weekend......

Hopefully, Wrightwood will have more pics of the day.   

[RobertW]

ForestGal, I saw you on TV also.  You were in two different shots.  You're famous! 

I also saw Nolena, though it was just a shot of her back and the back of the Lion's Club of Wrightwood vest.

Unfortunately, the fire department didn't fill the hole in the ice when they left.  What is with that?  Don't they know you're suppose to leave the forest as you found it?      

Seriously, it could become a temptation for visitors this weekend to walk over to that hole in the Ice and take a gander or perhaps throw in a line to do some "Ice Fishing".

Angeles Dispatch asked that we put another Beware of Thin Ice sign right on the beach so as to warn people of the danger.  Hopefully tonight's cold temps will help fill the hole.   

[Bob C]

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6596292

[Nolena]

I hope that the dangers of thin ice remain in the news on a regular basis in the winter. Maybe if people see this on tv it will have more of an impact than the warning signs placed at the lake.

[Elk]

I saw the news truck the other day but missed the news report. Thanks for posting the link!

It was also nice to see the Lions club, members including John Bauer the "Honorary Mayor" of Big Pines.

[Wrightwood]

Great video and photos on this page:


http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_N_ice10.2be23b1.html

[Elk]

The SB County fire dept. has been training again this week on ice rescues at Jackson Lake. They are here again today. I believe this is the third day of training. I did not have my camera with me but maybe someone else will be able to get a couple of pictures.

Many thanks to the SBCFD for their continued commitment to protecting and serving our community.

[firefightersteve]

Hi Elk. Thank you for mentioning our training.  Over the three days we performed a variety of training exercises anticipating a variety of the rescue situations which can occur at Jackson Lake. One might think that ice is simply ice, but one fact that stood out was that the ice conditions were different every day of the training. And understanding the ice conditions can have a profound impact on which techniques and equipment to use. The success of the drill would not have been possible without the participation of LACo Fire USAR Task Force 130, LACoFD Sta 79, and the SBCoFD crews that participated from Lake Arrowhead Station 91.

All of our ice rescue equipment was purchased by donation received from the Timberline Lion's Club.