DERRY, NH — January 7 — In order to assess new equipment, the Derry, NH Fire Department, located at 14 Manning Street in Derry, New Hampshire, held ice rescue training. As part of a controlled exercise to test the department's new Rapid Deployment Craft, sometimes known as a banana boat, Battalion 4 purposefully went into the ice.

The craft's design spreads weight to increase safety while enabling firefighters to swiftly reach patients on unstable ice. In winter conditions, crews tested deployment, moving across the ice, and rescue tactics. In order to ensure safe and efficient operations during cold-weather crises, ice rescue training is an essential component of winter readiness.