The Wayland/Yankee Springs Fire Department has two new tools to help area residents in the case of trouble during the winter in or on the many lakes in the area.
At its Dec.13 board meeting, the Yankee Springs Township board approved the purchase of two Imperial Ice Rescue suits from 5 Alarm of Wisconsin for $1,050 for the department.
The new suits bring the total of ice rescue suits to six for the department staff of 20, Deputy Chief Dan Miller said.
Designed with input from public safety agencies, the bright yellow suits are more flexible, has easily repaired shell fabric with reinforced wear areas for use in extremely cold environments. A new feature is a button on the suit firefighters can push to expel air from the suit to reduce buoyancy and make it easier to descend deeper into the water.
The suits can be worn by those from 110 to 330 pounds and anyone from 4 feet 11 to 6 feet 6 inches.
Other area fire departments with the new suits include Wayland, Martin, Orangeville, Hopkins, Hastings and Thornapple Township Emergency Services.
“This is a great addition to our fleet to be able to rescue those in trouble, should there be more than one victim in the water,” Miller said. The department appreciates the township‘s support. “They’ve been good to us. They approved it; we ordered it and got them just in time for ice fishing.”
Miller advises those who fish through the ice and others to avoid going on the ice yet.
“Right now, all of the ice is unsafe.”//
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources does not recommend using a chart as a measure of safety for being on the ice. While a couple of inches of new, clear ice may be strong enough to support a person, a foot of old, air-bubbled ice may not.
Some advice from the DNR: Always presume that ice is unsafe. Do not go onto the ice before testing the thickness and quality with a spud, needle bar or auger. Ice that is six or seven inches thick in one spot can be only two inches thick close by.
On big lakes, ice cover in some spots may be thick enough to safely hold a car while other areas of ice are little more than an inch thick. Be aware that conditions can change within just a few feet because of currents under the ice.
Photos:
(upper left) Probationary firefighter/EMT Alex Williams models the newest equipment at the Wayland/Yankee Springs Fire Department.
( left) The new ice rescue suits are easy to quickly fold up and stow away, as probationary firefighter/EMT Alex Williams demonstrates.
