Cooperstown, NY — March 7th — On Saturday morning, Cooperstown Fire Department personnel trained in ice and cold-water rescue at Three Mile Point on Otsego Lake. Firefighters who had just finished ice rescue training at the technician level participated in the exercise. In order to reach a fictitious victim, crews trained putting on ice rescue suits, assembling equipment, and sending technicians onto the ice.

Establishing operational zones, coordinating communications, and securely rescuing someone who has fallen through the ice were among topics covered by firefighters. For departments in Otsego County who safeguard neighborhoods around lakes and ponds, ice rescue training is crucial. Ice can remain unstable and the water below remains dangerously cold even as temperatures start to rise. Authorities advised caution around lakes and other bodies of water and warned locals that no ice is totally safe.