The Dalton Fire Department doesn't get many opportunities to practice their ice rescue skills. So, recent frigid temperatures in northwest Georgia created for a golden opportunity for DFD Training Coordinator Keith Dempsey.
"We never get this chance," Dempsey said, standing near the frozen pond at Lakeshore Park.
Firefighters from Squad One trained with their rescue equipment for about an hour on Monday afternoon, using ropes and a body board to practice moving individuals who may become stranded on the ice. Even in a southern city like Dalton, it's still possible to have an emergency on the ice. Over the weekend, two teenagers in Gwinnett County died when they fell through the ice on a frozen pond. And, while there haven't been any similar incidents here in Dalton, plenty of area residents have taken the risk to play on frozen ice.
The Dalton Fire Department surveyed several frozen bodies of water on Monday morning, "and every single pond we saw had footprints in the snow," said Dempsey.
Below: Firefighters from the Dalton Fire Department practice rescue techniques on the frozen pond at Lakeshore Park in Dalton
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