Ice Rescue in Calgary

The Calgary Fire Department saved a man from the icy Bow River Monday night.

Fire crews received reports of a man in the river around 8:40 p.m. When they got to the scene, they discovered a middle-aged man in the water clinging to an ice shelf.

According to the fire department, the crew quickly put on life jackets and made their way to the man. But the crew was unable to remove him from the water right away because of the strong current, the weight of his clothes and the slippery conditions.

The fire crew held the man in place until the aquatics rescue team arrived minutes later. The man was pulled from the water conscious and breathing.

The crew placed the man in a protective stretcher and used an extension ladder to get him up the slippery bank to a waiting ambulance.

It is believed the man was in the freezing water for around 20 minutes.

The fire department says Calgarians need to be cautious and urges people to stay away from river edges because the ice may be undercut by the current and is very dangerous.

About Author

countyfiretactics

Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.

Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.

He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.

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