Town council was due to discuss the idea of adding ice rescue to the fire department's list of responsibilities at a council meeting on April 22.
Lorne Thompson, Olds' fire chief, said members of the department began discussing the idea after firefighters responded to a call in January of a horse that had fallen through ice. The firefighters thought it would be a good idea to get trained in case any people fell through ice on the many bodies of standing water that accumulate and freeze over throughout the area during the winter, he told councillors at a policies and priorities meeting on April 15.
Thompson said specialized suits and other equipment for responders could be procured for under $5,000, well within the department's existing budget.
“This is a long time coming,” said Mayor Judy Dahl.
There was some discussion around the council table about what the town's policy is regarding people skating on Winter Lake, with administrators pointing out that the town actively discourages skating there with signs, in case there are any soft spots in the ice.
Larry Wright, the town's director of operations, thought councillors should agree to the concept of having the fire department take on ice rescue responsibilities.
“I strongly encourage you to support the fire service. You don't really realize all the risks that are out there,” he said.
In an interview following the April 15 meeting, Thompson said after the incident in January, firefighters realized that with the local population and the number of standing bodies of water increasing, it makes sense for the department to be properly trained to respond to ice-related emergencies.
Firefighters already carried out some training in late March and earlier this month, borrowing some equipment from the Sundre fire department and using one of the ponds at Olds College for the training activity.
Dahl said she wholeheartedly supports the addition of ice rescue to the fire department's list of services.
“We need to have our fire department trained in ice rescue services. It just makes sense,” she said.
