BERN TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Despite the winter storm we’re getting, local ponds and lakes are starting to thaw, which could be dangerous if you step foot on them.
That’s why the Keystone Water Rescue team and Mount Pleasant Fire Company Dive Team held a joint training class on Saturday at Blue Marsh Lake.
Crews say they trained for an ice emergency, whether it’s someone stuck on the surface and holding on, or if the person succumbs to hypothermia and slips underwater.
“But there’s different areas that (are) maybe a foot thick or two inches thick or four inches thick. It doesn’t form or thaw uniformly, so the fact is that your next step may be a fatal one,” said Robert Stichter, Keystone Water Rescue.
Both teams were led by certified instructors and had backup divers and EMS workers waiting on standby as a safety precaution.