By Derek White
The Colby Fire Department recently conducted an Ice Rescue Training at Villa High on Jan. 31. Working with the Rexford Fire Department and the Thomas County Emergency Medical Services, the three departments worked together to prepare emergency personnel in the event of an ice rescue.
“This ice rescue training is a benefit for the citizens of Colby and Thomas County in general, if we ever have to go out on Villa High for somebody that has fallen through the ice, this gives us the ability to form a rescue and get to those people in a quick and timely fashion by keeping us safe.” said Colby Fire Chief Scott Hilbrink
The department purchased Ice Rescue suits recently, and this training is the second time they’ve been able to work with the equipment. The suits are comprised of neoprene inner and a vinyl outer layer that allows the suits to be airtight. Creating an air lock that keeps the diver floating and dry while in a rescue attempt.
The training began at 9:00 A.M. and lasted roughly an hour and forty-five minutes. In the exercise, six different firefighters fulltime and volunteer took turns putting on the suits and attempted to rescue fellow team members in the water.
The crew spent time in the classroom prior to the field exercise, learning the procedures and ideas about ice rescues. In all situations the team is instructed to follow the reach, throw, and go rule. The first choice of assistance is “reach”, the team will utilize a twelve-foot reacher pole to bring victims back to shore. If they cannot reach, then the team is instructed to “throw” a lifeline out to the victim. The last resort is “go” meaning if you can’t reach them and you can’t throw a line to them, then you must go in after them.
Regardless of the situation, when the fire department arrives at an ice rescue they are immediately preparing to go into the ice, but it takes time to put on gear and get equipment ready. While the team is getting prepared, the “reach and throw” options are exhausted to self-rescue the victim while emergency personnel are preparing for the ice rescue.
The department does several exercises over the course of the year, usually based on weather and environment. Coming soon it’s planning to do a burn demonstration and arson investigation exercise later in March. They have a burn cell that the Colby High School students helped them build. The cell will be set up a mock eight-foot by eight-foot living room and burning it to show fire behavior and smoke behavior.
The Fire Department is always looking for more fighters, they are currently seeking one full-time fire fighter, and six volunteer fire fighters. “Our biggest challenges right now is recruitment, we’re a little short on volunteers. We've got six open positions, so we're always looking for volunteers, and if anybody's ever interested, they're more and welcome to stop by the fire station and talk to us,” said Chief Hilbrink
“We are a twenty-four-hour manned fire station; somebody is always here at the Colby Fired Department. We're here to help serve the community and we're available twenty-four hours a day. We have a community tornado shelter, as that time of year approaches remember that you can take shelter at the Colby Fire Department,” said Chief Hilbrink.
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