Moses Lake waters still dangerous

Remaining frozen portions are too thin

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Fire Department warns people to be careful on the lake because although there are frozen portions, it's unstable.

"Right now there still is some ice and this is the time of year when the ice is the weakest," Fire Capt. Phil Walker said. "There have been several defrosting periods and the ice is most likely very weak right now."

There have been several emergency calls to the department including an incident this month when a dog fell through the ice on the lake. The department stood by to ensure a citizen didn't put their own life at risk attempting to rescue the animal. The dog died.

The last serious ice rescue call was approximately two years ago resulting in a fatality when a man attempted to rescue an animal who fell through the ice.

Other emergency calls included people ice fishing and riding snowmobiles on the lake. There was also the time when a man drove a vehicle onto and eventually through the ice last year.

With the lake regularly freezing each winter, the fire department continues to increase its water rescue equipment and training.

The equipment now includes an inflatable ice rescue boat used to reach a victim by traveling on water and ice, and ice rescue suits designed to keep the rescuer warm and buoyant. They also use strong rope to keep the rescuer hitched to the shore and for the fellow firefighters to quickly pull the rescuer and victim to shore.

The department also has a collection of protective helmets, gloves and flotation devices for the victim to hang onto.

Assistant Fire Chief Brett Bastian said there is approximately $10,000 worth of ice rescue equipment, purchased over the years.

A lot of the same equipment is used to do summer water rescues when the lake is at peak use, Walker said.

He said the fire department trains regularly with Grant County Fire District No. 5 which also has a variety of water rescue equipment. Each department provides assistance to the other.

Walker described a typical scenario the department experiences with water rescue.

The emergency call comes in and firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians head to the lake. While traveling to the emergency, at least two people are designated to put themselves to work on the ice and are suiting up, he said. Each call is at least a six-person operation, two people on the ice, two people acting as backup and two people on the shore ready to pull people in and work as command and safety officers.

Once the department is on the scene, they are quickly evaluating the ice, finding weak and strong spots.

Bastian said it takes about four minutes for the department to reach a victim.

Walker said the total response time including driving to the scene can take five to 10 minutes.

There are several different ways they can reach a victim once they are at the lakeshore.

They can deploy a sled or a boat, send out an anchored team, or they can do both, Walker said.

He said the department has fine tuned its rescue time to be as quick as possible because survival in freezing water diminishes by the second.

Walker said when someone falls through the ice, there is about one to two minutes of shock, panic and hyperventilating. He said people need to remember to calm down and carefully focus on staying afloat or getting themselves on top of the ice. After the panic, there is about three to five minutes where the person still has strength to escape.

Bastian said after the first few minutes pass in the freezing conditions, survival is case by case. He said depending on the size of the person, they can last 10 minutes to as long as 40 minutes in the water.

Walker said if a person witnesses someone fall through the ice, call 9-1-1. It only takes a few minutes for the department to arrive at the scene and reach the victim. He said individuals should not attempt to rescue someone because they will most likely become a victim themselves, making the situation more difficult.

Walker suggested throwing rope or a stick or a similar item to the victim, if they are in reach, to pull them closer to shore rather than going on the ice.

He said often people forget how weak the ice can be. When it snows on the ice, it makes ice brittle. Different areas of the lake have different thickness and it can be the difference of only a few steps before someone is in danger, Walker said.

He said if people choose to go on the ice for ice fishing and snowmobiling, they should wear vests or suits offering buoyancy and warmth in case of an accident.

Walker warns people it's better to just stay off the ice.