courtesy photo
IVFD’s Aaron Greene holds Copper on a special sled while being pulled back into shore. Greene is one of several trained in ice rescues.
courtesy photo
The IVFD was called out to rescue a golden retriever named Copper that had fallen through the ice about 250-300 feet offshore at Enders Lake.
Dog rescued from water Sunday at Enders
The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department (IVFD) received a 911 call Sunday morning from John Vogt Jr. for a rescue at Enders Lake.
John Vogt Jr. and his father, John Sr., were goose hunting around Enders Lake when Vogt Sr.’s golden retriever, Copper, fell through the ice while retrieving a bird.
The dog had probably been in the frigid water for at least half an hour, said Rick Elliott, IVFD 2nd lieutenant.
Elliott said there were several individuals on the fire department trained in ice rescue.
“We have equipment made specifically for ice rescues, and we had two trained ice rescuers with us that day—Aaron Greene and Josh Burke,” he added.
Ice rescues can be risky, Elliott said, but with the right equipment, it is much less dangerous.
Both ice rescuers were dressed in a “dry suit” designed for cold water.
Rescuer Greene was secured with a rope and walked out on the ice to the dog carrying a special sled while Burke and other IVFD volunteers remained on shore at standby, said Fire Chief Doug Mitchell.
The dog was between 250 - 300 feet from shore, Mitchell added.
Once reaching Copper, Greene jumped into the water and helped him out, Elliott said.
Both Greene and Copper laid on the sled while IVFD members pulled them to shore.
“We put the dog in the back of a rescue rig and warmed him up before returning him to his owner. He (the dog) was very happy to see us,” Elliott said.
Elliott commented they had performed a similar rescue a number of years ago without benefit of the special ice rescue equipment, and it took much longer and was much riskier.
This time, it came together really well—a quick and precise operation, he added.
“It was great having the proper equipment. It worked slick and took less than 10 minutes,” Elliott said.
“Copper is doing fine now,” said Vogt Jr.
This type rescue would be similar to a human victim falling through the ice, Elliott noted.
Imperial EMS was paged out to be on standby in case a rescuer was in need of medical attention, but they were not used, Mitchell said.