Ice fishing tournament turns to rescue

Florida - An ice fisherman was rescued and his all-terrain vehicle later recovered from Glenmere Lake during the Florida Fire Department’s ice fishing tournament on Feb. 10. “It’s a good thing we had our equipment on standby,” Fire Department Captain Bill Babcock said. “He’s a lucky man. Any longer, it would have been tragic.” Babcock said the fisherman fell into about 10 feet of water. Rescuers were alerted to the accident by other participants of the ice fishing tournament. According to Babcock, the ice in the area where everyone was fishing was about 10 inches thick, but there was a large section of open water where the ice was only 2-3 inches thick at the edges. “It was at that point where the victim fell in,” the fire captain said. “The water temperature - I’m unsure of, but it certainly was cold enough to cause hypothermia within five minutes time.” Babcock said the victim was treated for hypothermia at the local hospital and later released. Four fighters and one civilian were directly involved with the rescue while several other firefighters were there as backup. The department has had ice rescue equipment for the last four years, and participates in cold-weather drills twice a year for emergencies such as this. Firefighters later recovered the ATV, using winches from other vehicles. Two firefighters, dressed in ice suits, also jumped into the water to help lift the equipment out.