EDDINGTON, Maine — This winter, as they do every year, Eddington Fire Department personnel have gone out on thin ice in an effort to save people and pets.
“Obviously, it’s been a bad year for ice,” Lt. Craig Russell said Wednesday.
With the warmer than normal weather conditions, the ice is not very thick this year, he said.
A snowmobiler went through the ice of Davis Pond outlet near Rooks Road in mid-January, and on Monday, a sport-utility vehicle broke through the ice on Sebasticook Lake.
After the Eddington Fire Department’s first rescue attempt of the season in Clifton, “we realized there was a need for more equipment,” Russell said.
The Eddington Fire Association decided to do something about it and set up a GoFundMe account to raise $5,000 to buy a Rescue Alive sled that cost $3,000, three ice rescue rope reels at $598 each, four water rescue safety helmets for $36 each, and some ice rescue picks that cost $18 each. It took just 18 days for enough donations to roll in to fund the thin ice rescue equipment.
“They’ve done an exceptional job with that, and we’ve already ordered the equipment,” Fire Chief Jim Ellis said.
The 20 to 25 full- and part-time firefighters train annually on how to deal with ice rescues. Their last training was on Dec. 10, 2015, and another one is planned for when the equipment arrives, if it’s not too late in the year.
The Rescue Alive sled is a proven piece of ice rescue equipment that has been around for about 20 years.
“They work really well on thin ice,” Russell said. “It distributes the person’s weight so they don’t fall through the ice. They’ve been used to rescue deer, dogs and people. It’s just another tool for us to use to help get out there quickly and safely.”
If a rescue team breaks through the ice, “it slows the rescue effort,” the lieutenant said.
The funds raised above the $5,000 goal will be used to purchase additional ice rescue equipment, Russell said, thanking those who gave.
“We always go out a couple times a year,” he said.