CAPE MAY CITY– It takes the human body about twenty to thirty minutes to die when exposed to frigid waters. The ongoing training of the Cape May City Fire Department is ensuring the community it serves, help is just minutes away.
On Monday, Jan 19 the firefighters of station 51 held it’s annual ice rescue drill. Firefighters practiced on a frozen pond on Madison Ave.
Ice water rescue training is not part of the standard curriculum of firefighter training centers however, Cape May Firefighters spend about 20 hours per year annually training. The Fire Department begins their yearly training on the first ice of the season.
Cape May City Fire Department is staffed full time by career firefighters allowing for an immediate response to any call for help. Firefighters suit up in special cold water wet suits en-route to the scene in their rescue truck. As part of the drill firefighters will be conditioned to completely change and suit up in ninety seconds.
The average rescue time on today’s drill was about three minutes. “Rescues are quicker then drills” said Chief Jerome Inderwies Jr. According to Inderwies, from the time firefighters receive a rescue call to the point of contact with a victim is around eight to nine minutes depending on location.
In the past ten years the Cape May City Fire Department has had only one actual ice rescue that involved a dog that fell threw the ice on Lilly Lake in Cape May Point.
Contact Scheeler at: (609) 404-6515 or hscheeler@cmcherald.com
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