Day two is in the history book.
We get ready for Plan A and things went to poo. A third of the team was involved with a non-water-related situation.
We decided to do some Rescue Alive training on Hayden Lake. Our normal training area isnt frozen over but the near by outlet is. Nice crystal clear 4-6 thick ice about 300 from shore.
Today we did a little more realistic training. No boards, no sand, no mats, nothing but what we would normally respond to an emergency with. It was slicker than slick. I mean like snot on a greased crowbar tossed out of an iced up chopper.
We did several scenarios rescuing each other. But the guys got to get even with me.
Im paddling out the sled over open water when the next thing I know is Im doing a 180 summersault and getting wet. Those butt heads on the end of the rope give it a jerk and pull the sled right out from under me. We all got a good laugh.
Climb back onto the Rescue Alive and back to the rescue I started out on. I get my victim, strap him in and signal the take up team. They start pulling us across the open water at a good pace. But when we hit the ice things went wrong.
As we started to go from open water to the ice we didnt hit a flat wall of ice. Instead we hit a point that was at about a 45-degree angle to the main wall. The left pontoon raised up sharply causing the sled to move to the right and roll over to the right. No big deal but one of my team members is strapped to an upside down sled.
He uses his head and rolls over getting his head above water. Then it took two of us to release his harness to free him.
Had he not been able to roll over I would have cut the webbing freeing him without any problems. That situation is now going to be added to our training. In all the years we have used them we have never even heard of this happening.
Then off to lunch. We said no more Mexican before dives. So what do we do but go to Mexican. Last flippin time!
After lunch we go diving under the ice. What a beautiful day and dive. The air was in the low 20s and the water was right at freezing.
Then we get an actual Rescue. Bambi decides to get on the ice and just about beat herself to death going, down, up, down, up, down, up. Add dozens of rollovers between the ups and down and we felt it was time to help.
Three of the team go and give her a hand. No easy task but she was assisted to shore where she ran off. A little beaten, exhausted and bloody but free.
We spend a couple of months a year trying to kill one during hunting season but when one is in trouble we help. A strange race we are.
One of the guys slipped and fell backwards on the ice and bonked his head but hes fine. He was just a grumpy after the fall as he was before it so hes ok.
Then Im standing there in my gear facing west when my feet go north and south. My tank hit the ice so hard that it shattered a spot about the size of a steering wheel. Im fine but the boys didnt like playing ballerina. The pain should go away in a day or two.
All in all a very good day with some training additions for the future.
And we get paid for this stuff. Next months training is already on the books but only one-day. We have too much other training going on thats interfering.
Gary D.
We get ready for Plan A and things went to poo. A third of the team was involved with a non-water-related situation.
We decided to do some Rescue Alive training on Hayden Lake. Our normal training area isnt frozen over but the near by outlet is. Nice crystal clear 4-6 thick ice about 300 from shore.
Today we did a little more realistic training. No boards, no sand, no mats, nothing but what we would normally respond to an emergency with. It was slicker than slick. I mean like snot on a greased crowbar tossed out of an iced up chopper.
We did several scenarios rescuing each other. But the guys got to get even with me.
Im paddling out the sled over open water when the next thing I know is Im doing a 180 summersault and getting wet. Those butt heads on the end of the rope give it a jerk and pull the sled right out from under me. We all got a good laugh.Climb back onto the Rescue Alive and back to the rescue I started out on. I get my victim, strap him in and signal the take up team. They start pulling us across the open water at a good pace. But when we hit the ice things went wrong.
As we started to go from open water to the ice we didnt hit a flat wall of ice. Instead we hit a point that was at about a 45-degree angle to the main wall. The left pontoon raised up sharply causing the sled to move to the right and roll over to the right. No big deal but one of my team members is strapped to an upside down sled.
He uses his head and rolls over getting his head above water. Then it took two of us to release his harness to free him.
Had he not been able to roll over I would have cut the webbing freeing him without any problems. That situation is now going to be added to our training. In all the years we have used them we have never even heard of this happening.
Then off to lunch. We said no more Mexican before dives. So what do we do but go to Mexican. Last flippin time!
After lunch we go diving under the ice. What a beautiful day and dive. The air was in the low 20s and the water was right at freezing.
Then we get an actual Rescue. Bambi decides to get on the ice and just about beat herself to death going, down, up, down, up, down, up. Add dozens of rollovers between the ups and down and we felt it was time to help.
Three of the team go and give her a hand. No easy task but she was assisted to shore where she ran off. A little beaten, exhausted and bloody but free.
We spend a couple of months a year trying to kill one during hunting season but when one is in trouble we help. A strange race we are.
One of the guys slipped and fell backwards on the ice and bonked his head but hes fine. He was just a grumpy after the fall as he was before it so hes ok.
Then Im standing there in my gear facing west when my feet go north and south. My tank hit the ice so hard that it shattered a spot about the size of a steering wheel. Im fine but the boys didnt like playing ballerina. The pain should go away in a day or two.
All in all a very good day with some training additions for the future.
And we get paid for this stuff. Next months training is already on the books but only one-day. We have too much other training going on thats interfering.
Gary D.
