DALTON, Ga. -- Not that it happens often, but firefighters want to make sure they're ready if someone falls through an ice-covered pond or lake.
So Monday, they began training for such rescues at Lakeshore Park. Keith Dempsey, training coordinator for the Dalton Fire Department, said about 30 staff firefighters per day will train over the next three days.
Firefighter Jeff Viens said Monday was the first time he'd trained for ice rescue.
"This is just something that we're not used to in the South," he said.
Firefighters use a plan similar to swift water rescue for ice emergencies.
In the training, firefighters first try to reach for the victim using a flotation device attached to something like an inflated fire hose, Mr. Dempsey said. The next step is to throw a flotation device out to the victim.
If those steps aren't successful, a rescuer wearing a dry suit goes into the water after the victim, he said.
Deputy Chief Gary Baggett said there are reasons that firefighters here need to be prepared, including recent drowning deaths near Atlanta.
Two teenage boys fell through ice and drowned in a Gwinnett County pond Saturday afternoon, according to reports.
Mr. Baggett said a dog drowned Sunday in Dalton when it fell through an icy pond in a neighborhood off Dug Gap Road.
He said firefighters have not yet responded to any calls of people falling through ice, but there are signs people have ventured onto thin ice. Mr. Dempsey said lakes and ponds throughout the city Monday morning "were covered in footprints ranging from small child to adult."
And firefighters arriving Monday morning at Lakeshore Park found a wooden picnic table dragged out onto the ice-covered pond.
The danger will increase as temperatures rise and ice melts, he said.
Ice must be at least 2 inches thick to support human weight, and water around here normally doesn't freeze that much, Mr. Dempsey said.
"It's imperative that people stay off the ice," he said.
When a person falls into freezing water, the amount of time before hypothermia sets in varies according to factors such as clothing and body weight, said Mr. Dempsey. But people tend to lose upper body strength within "a few minutes," he said.
It's important witnesses don't try to rescue people themselves, but instead contact authorities immediately, Mr. Dempsey said.