Saint John emergency crews have a new tool that should help save critical time during ice rescues.
The city purchased a Rapid Deployment Craft, an inflatable rescue device that can fit in the back of a car and is ready to go at a moment’s notice.
The department has been training officers to use the new craft, which it believes is a step forward from its previous procedure.
“With our previous equipment, they would actually be on their bellies on a surfboard basically, using ice picks to work their way out,” said Deputy Chief Rob Nichol. “This (improves) ease of manoeuvrability to get to the victim.”
Nichol said rescuers are often tired just from the act of crawling out to the rescue spot.
Crews were also able to only rescue one victim at a time before they needed to return them to shore. The new craft allows them to pull two or three people from the water at a time.
Rescue crews can attach the craft to a rope pegged down securely in the ground. Crew members can then step into two holes toward the front and back, lift up the craft and walk out across the ice.
The most important factor in rescuing people from icy waters is time. Nichol says the new craft can save valuable minutes when preparing to go out onto the ice.
“When somebody’s in the water in these winter situations, you really have about 10 minutes,” said Nichol. “The amount of time we can decrease is certainly better for anybody in the unfortunate situation of being stuck in the ice or water.
Nichol says they respond to just one or two ice rescues per winter, but the new craft can also be used in water rescues like flooding situations.
Watch rescue crews train on the use of the new Rapid Deployment Craft:
