Broadwater County Search and Rescue Team Practice Ice Rescue
Author: Matt Nelson
Broadwater County Search and Rescue Team Practice Ice Rescue
Matt Nelson
Eric Crusch, Mike Speedy, Richard Tramp, Tim McAlpine, and Sean Dolan, all members of the Broadwater County Search and Rescue (BCSAR) team, went to the White Earth Campground at Canyon Ferry Lake for Ice Rescue Training on Saturday, January 31st. They have a special Ice Rescue Response Unit, which is a small, enclosed trailer, to utilize.
First aid equipment and a specially designed pontoon rescue boat that folds up for transport are located inside the trailer. When deployed, each of the two platforms on the pontoon boat is wide enough for one person to kneel or stand on, and the person being rescued rides in the middle section of the pontoon boat platforms.
Four of the five men put on yellow survivor suits that are made by Mustang Survival and donated by the Gallatin Madison Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited. The suits are designed to be warm. The ice was about six inches thick near the shoreline. At the beginning of the exercise, Mike and Sean took the pontoon boat to about fifty feet from the shoreline, and Mike broke up the ice in a wide circle so the person being rescued could go in. Sean went into the water, and Mike helped him out and onto the middle of the pontoon boat. Eric, Tim, and Richard pulled on two ropes to bring both Sean and Mike back to shore.
For the next go around, Sean and Tim extracted Mike out of the icy water, and then the next time Mike and Sean extracted Tim. For each of these three rescues, the person being extracted either lay face down on top of the ropes between the pontoons or stood facing forward. For the fourth and final exercise, the team consisted of Richard and Tim, with Mike in the middle. Only this time, Mike lay down on his back, with his feet pointing back towards the hole in the ice. He said he liked this method much better.
While nobody wants to fall through the ice or even into ice-free water, it should be a comfort to know that there is professional help available to be extracted. The BCSAR team is always looking for new members, so if you are interested, please call Eric Crusch, the president of the team, at 406 521-0275, and contact the BW County Sheriff’s office to get an application.
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Eric Crusch, Tim McAlpine, Sean Dolan, Mike Speedy, and Richard Tramp
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
Image 2 Caption: Mike Speedy, Tim McAlpine, and Sean Dolan are on the pontoon boat and being towed to shore
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
