BEND, OR -- Bend Fire and Rescue trained for ice rescues at Discovery Park Wednesday. Firefighters took turns as victims and rescuers, practicing techniques for safely recovering someone who fell through the ice. A specialized team runs through these scenarios annually to be certified for the training, equipment, and gear.

An emergency call of this kind is few and far between, according to Bend Fire’s Melissa Steele, “There hasn’t been an ice rescue in quite a bit. We did have the one of the dog last week. But hopefully the prevention message is out there about ice safety. We’ve been really lucky and blessed not to have some.”

“This is something that we try to take advantage of every winter. If we have the ice and good conditions to do that, we love to train like we actually will go to that emergency,” says Steele.

Bend Fire reminds the public no ice is 100% safe because a freeze-thaw weather pattern can make ice instable. Your best bet is to keep yourself and pets off the ice on rivers, and ponds. If a person does fall through, call 911. Don’t go on the ice yourself, but you can try to use something to reach them from shore.