Last week firefighter/paramedics from the Prospect Heights and Wheeling fire departments used the pond at a local apartment complex to practice rescuing people from icy waters. After breaking a hole through the ice, one firefighter portrayed a victim while others used a variety of techniques and equipment to reach the victim, removed them from the frigid waters and move them over the ice to the shore.

It is never safe to walk onto the ice of any pond or stream in our city. You cannot predict its thickness or when it may break. Once immersed in the water a human will be unable to help themselves in a matter of minutes due to the effects of the freezing temperatures in their body.