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LEBANON, ME - The Lebanon Rescue Department and Lebanon Fire Department responded to a dog through the ice call on Monday night, January 4, 2010. The call was received at 10:44 p.m.

When emergency officials arrived on scene, they located a 12-year-old lab mix dog in the Little River. The dogs owner was also in the river attempting to rescue the dog and was up to about his waist in the frigid water.

The dogs owner had gone to look for the dog when it did not return home. The owner heard the dog crying and located it about a half-mile from his house in the Little River.

Rescue and Fire crews assisted the owner and the dog out of the water and then back to their house on the Little River Road. The dog and owner were out of the water and in a vehicle to return to their house at 11:20 p.m. Lebanon Rescue crews then treated both the male adult owner and the dog at their house. The rescue crews used oxygen, heating packs and blankets to help the dog and treated the male, but he was not transported to the hospital. It is believed the dog was in the water for about half an hour and the owner for about fifty minutes.

“Obviously with the temperature outside and the temperature of the river, we always want to get the patients to a warm environment as soon as possible. This time of year the ice is still not safe, especially where there is a strong current. In the end, both the owner and the K9 seem ok, the outcome could have been much worse due to the cold water and cold temperature outside. Dogs have a tendency of walking to the water and each year we usually get a call for a dog through the ice. We also usually respond to at least one call for a snowmobile or vehicle through the ice.” Assistant Chief Jason Cole added.

Lebanon Rescue Lieutenant Kevin Romano, who is a certified water rescue instructor and technician advised “No ice is safe and it shows with the fact that a medium size dog went through the ice. We train for emergencies like this each year and the emergency personnel at the scene did a great job and in the end, there was a positive outcome. The rescue crews worked hard to warm the patient and his K-9 and make sure they were ok.”

Lebanon Rescue crews remained on scene until midnight treating the patient and the K-9.

The following safety information is from the Maine Warden Service website:

What if someone else falls in?

If someone else falls through and you are the only one around to help? First, call 911 for help. There is a good chance someone near you may be carrying a cell phone.

•Resist the urge to run up to the edge of the hole. This would most likely result in two victims in the water. Also, do not risk your life to attempt to save a pet or other animal.
•Preach, Reach, Throw, Row, Go
•PREACH - Shout to the victim to encourage them to fight to survive and reassure them that help is on the way.
•REACH - If you can safely reach the victim from shore, extend an object such as a rope, ladder, or jumper cables to the victim. If the person starts to pull you in, release your grip on the object and start over.
•THROW - Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Have them tie the rope around themselves before they are too weakened by the cold to grasp it.
•ROW - Find a light boat to push across the ice ahead of you. Push it to the edge of the hole, get into the boat and pull the victim in over the bow. It’s not a bad idea to attach some rope to the boat, so others can help pull you and the victim to safety.
•GO - A non professional should not go out on the ice to perform a rescue unless all other basic rescue techniques have been ruled out.
If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform the rescue, call 911 for help, keep reassuring the victim that help is on the way, and urge them to fight to survive. Heroics by well meaning but untrained rescuers sometimes result in two deaths.

New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.

Ice seldom freezes uniformly. It may be a foot thick in one location and only an inch or two just a few feet away.

Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often dangerous. This is especially true near streams, bridges, and culverts. In addition, the ice on outside river bends is usually weaker due to the undermining effects of the faster current.

The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. The extra weight also reduces how much weight the ice sheet can support. Also, ice near shore can be weaker than ice that is farther out.

Booming and cracking ice isn’t necessarily dangerous. It only means that the ice is expanding and contracting as the temperature changes.

Schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect the relative safety of ice. The movement of fish can bring warm water up from the bottom of the lake. In the past, this has opened holes in the ice causing snowmobiles and cars to break through.

If your car or truck plunges through the ice, the best time to escape is before it sinks, not after. It will stay afloat a few seconds to several minutes depending on the airtightness of the vehicle.

•While the car is still afloat, the best escape hatches are the side windows since the doors may be held shut by the water pressure. If the windows are blocked, try to push the windshield or rear window out with your feet or shoulder.
•A vehicle with its engine in the front will sink at a steep angle and may land on its roof if the water is 15 feet or deeper. As the car starts its final plunge to the bottom, water rapidly displaces the remaining air. An air bubble can stay in a submerged vehicle, but it is unlikely that it would remain by the time the car hits the bottom.
When the car is completely filled, the doors may be a little easier to open unless they are blocked by mud and silt. Remember too, chances are that the car will be upside down at this point! Add darkness and near freezing water, and your chances of escape have greatly diminished. This underscores the necessity of getting out of the car before it starts to sink!