Wrightsville Reservoir rescue info

[Geoff Beyer]

This morning a group of us rescued a solo skater who had fallen through the Northwestern corner of the reservoir where it gets narrow and there is often open water. 
The skater fell through 100 yards to the east of the island while investigating open water he had seen a few days earlier.

My wife, who was luckily at the boat ramp within earshot, heard the skater who had fallen in shout for help. She had a backpack with rescue equipment nearby, grabbed it and ran over with the safety equipment to initiate a rescue all while trying to reach me by cell phone.  .

She used the throw rope to reach him, but given there was no weight on the rope it was not successful. She tried calling my phone several times, but was not able to get through because of the weak cell service at the reservoir. I was at the other end of the reservoir  when two people who heard about the person falling through and were skating to the dam to get their throw rope told me the person had fallen in. I was at the opposite end of the reservoir and skated as quickly as I could to where the person had fallen through. I went by the ramp to make sure I had all the rescue equipment I needed.

My wife and a friend were trying to negotiate the throw rope and had the great idea of hooking her helmet on the end of the throw rope to give it some weight for throwing. Since I had ice claws, I took over the throw rope and was able to move closer to the person in the water.

After two tries, it was clear that the throw rope was too tangled to reach. I had to spend a minute, at least, to untangle the rope and prepare it for a decent throw. I moved closer, and hearing some unpleasant cracking of the ice, stopped and knelt down to spread out my weight. After two more throws, I was able to reach the person. Amazingly, he was able to grab the rope, and I was able to slowly pull him out… With him falling through twice more before I finally got him out.

He reported not feeling "that cold", but was not able to stand up after several tries. Around the fifth try he did get up and was able to skate back to the boat ramp where he was helped to our car. I got him my extra clothes and he was able to change in the heated car. By my estimate he was in the water over 10 minutes.

As he warmed up, he started shivering uncontrollably. I drove him to his girlfriend’s apartment, two or 3 miles away, where we talked as he warmed next to his woodstove. Since he was still shivering uncontrollably I suggested he take a hot shower which he did. His girlfriend was there and was going to give him a ride back to his car when he recovered. 

Brief breakdown
Some of what we did well.
1. Had ropes and ice claws available.
2. Kept enough distance that we didn’t join him in the water. 
3. My wife improving a weight ( her helmet) for our throw rope to help make it go the further.

4. My wife removing the dogs from the rescue area to reduce confusion and avoid additional rescues

What we could’ve done better:
1. We saw the difference it makes to have a weighted throw rope with some foam for flotation at Evan's ice safety training. It would have been much better if we had already made the modification to our existing rope bags.
This change could’ve saved several minutes which could’ve made the difference between saving the person and not being able to. We should have either purchased a commercial version or taken the time to retrofit ours ahead of time. I strongly recommend this!!!

2. Had an ice screw handy so that we could’ve set it in the ice, for the rescuer to feel confidence in throwing rope against it, and it helping as a foundation to pull the person out.

3. The sound of a whistle may have sent a call for help farther and more clearly. 

The skater had no wet or dry suit, no floatation or ice claws and was about 60 years old. I happen to know the person and I think one reason he survived is because it is very good condition.

A  few other conclusions, excuse the dark humor as I am still working off the adrenaline.

If you are going to skate alone, and without safety gear be tough, enough to survive long enough for any nearby people to make a few mistakes while they try to rescue you.

As part of the evaluation, I want to add that it is clear that the ice was weak 25 feet from where it changed colors. Another family member had tested the ice 15 feet before the color change a day earlier and it was only 2 pokes. This is something that Evan warned us about in the safety training:
Flowing water can undercut the strength of the ice, and indeed, there is more water flow at the narrows, and after it. You can see this as long "arms" and frequent open water. This is what I think got the person in trouble thinking that the color of the ice meant it was safe when it was not. I was throwing the rope at least 15 to the person but thought I saw weak looking ice 10 feet to my left. I may check ice depth this afternoon with couple friends...

Reservoir Ice report

Someone else mentioned this previously, but there’s not much reason to go north of the boat ramp given how much good ice there is south of it, and the dangers to the north . 
Actually, I think the skating at Wrightsville will be good through the day today but there is a half an inch of snow on it at least, snow will likely adhere after tonight, so this afternoon might be your last chance for sweet ice since it’s supposed to snow today and Sunday. 
Here’s to safe and fun to you all!
Geoff

[doug]

Nice rescue to Geoff and All,

As an  advanced EMT and a Vermont licensed EMS instructor I would like to add a few of important points.

1) The first phone call needs to be to 911. Had the person been in the water longer, he would have needed advanced resuscitation. Minutes count - you can always cancel EMS response if you don't need them. It is better to have them coming especially because we skate in remote areas. If there isn't good cell service send someone driving to call 911.

2) As soon as the person is out of the water, strip them naked and redress the person in warm dry cloths immediately with blankets if available. This is no time for modesty. Well done.

3) Excellent job getting the person in a warm car and to a warm house.

4) If the person is acting or speaking abnormally, call 911. Extreme hypothermia can cause heart arrhythmia and/or low oxygenation. The person needs to be checked out, particularly if they are older. Don't rewarm too fast for this reason. The warm shower was probably fine in this case because the person was moving on his own. Otherwise warm blankets are the way to go while waiting for EMS.

5) If the person is unresponsive and isn't breathing, start CPR and continue until EMS arrives or the person starts to respond. With hypothermia, nobody is dead until they are warm and dead.

Again, a very nice rescue with a good outcome.

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Douglas Friant

Designer | CFO | Co-Owner

Vermont Timber Works, Inc.

North Springfield, VT  05150

802-886-1917

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[diana hanks]

Geoff gave a great debrief . I will add that my throw bag is always on my body. It’s in a bungeed pocket with a line attatched to it and to my shoulder strap. I have seen a skater in the water, and as I am sprinting to them I pull the ripcord, and have my bag in hand. Before even getting to the skater, I have the end of the bag opened and ready to toss. Having the line all in a bag, gives it the mass to toss with some accuracy .  It unravels as it moves through the air. One toss does the trick. Also the whole thing is attached to me with a carabiner. There isn’t time to go get emergency gear. It needs to be on us as we skate.

I am sure Nordic Skating Shop at Lake Sunapee has throw ropes . My pack is specially made for Nordic skating and has the set up, but you can find a way to  rig a throw rope to any pack, and with a ripcord to get it out of it’s pocket and into your hand while you are skating.  Time is precious in this situation. You guys did amazingly well with what you had.

Diana Hanks

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 4, 2024, at 2:27 PM, doug <do...@vermonttimberworks.com> wrote:



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[Evan Perkins]

Thanks for the good and detailed report. It is really great that you took the time to analyze what went well and what could have been improved. Atgatt ,All the gear ,all the time is the mantra of the ADK skaters . 

     It is hard to make the cultural shift from pond skating when we were children where someone decided it was “safe” and we all just went out and skated, to a more rigorous safety minded culture that values safety over convenience. I know of several stories where safety gear was present but needed to be retrieved from shore or only one person on the ice had it and needed to be found. Some of these stories ended in successful rescues,some ended in fatalities. I hope this report will reinforce the atgatt concept to folks. 

     There is a rule for people after falling through the Ice called the 1-10-1 rule. One minute to get yourself together (much less for someone who is experienced or has spent time visualizing what they will do) 10 minutes of regular body function to self rescue or receive a rescue before you lose function and then 1 hour is the amount of time the average person can survive in cold water(hypothermic but alive with the chance for full recovery). The swimmer in this instance was probably starting to lose function as they had been in over 10 minutes by Geoff’s estimation. These rescuers in all likelihood saved this persons life by pulling off this rescue just in time. Nice job all of you , Chloe as well for getting back in time with more gear to assist if the first attempt was not successful.

     FLOTATION !! Flotation would have allowed the swimmer to survive much longer even if the rescue had been unsuccessful. It also would have allowed them a greater chance of self rescue even without ice picks. Let’s all try to normalize the idea of using safety gear in our communities. Fatalities from people going through the ice are from drowning almost 100percent of the time.flotation is our protection from this out come. There are many folks out on the ice who may not have the function or upper body strength to pull themselves out even  with ice picks ,this is another instance where flotation is critical.

      Geoff described having to kneel because the ice was thin . This made it so he could not use his skates set perpendicular to the pulling direction for grip which is proper technique. A proper Nordic rescue bag has over 80 feet of line (whitewater bags usually have 50’or 70’) which may have allowed him to be farther back and in good position . Also I know of two other ice rescues which were done where someone had skated a distance out on thin ice and fell through where the first rescuer crawled out and threw their  rope and then a second rescuer threw their rope to the first one who clipped them together so that the second rescuer who was on thick ice could pull the victim out from a strong position on thick ice. Just another example of why everyone should have rescue equipment on them in a party.

    These are some thoughts I had in addition to the great feedback already given.

    It is easy to focus on shortcomings and failures after the fact but this was a successful rescue ,excellent work to all involved !! I hope this report will inspire others to educate their community .

      Evan

[Geoff Beyer]

Rescue follow up 

The person rescued has warmed up and is safe and happy. 

A couple peoples posts about recovering from Cold water plunges are important since someone who gets out this necessarily safe until they warm up. I am reminded by my emergency room, Dr. friend that someone who is no longer shivering and doesn’t feel cold and has been in the water over 10 minutes in that risky category. She also reminded me that it would be dangerous to warm up a person who is that quickly. 

I did go back to Wrightsville this afternoon to skate and check the thickness of the ice near the rescue, As I wanted to learn if my intuition was accurate or not. The initial attempt to use a thorough rope was at about 40 feet and was unsuccessful with without the helmet attached. The final rescue was about at 30 feet away and the ice was two pokes and about an inch and a half or less. 10 feet to the left was two pokes and just over an inch. There was even more open water than before, as the slightly warm temperatures seem to increase the water flow.

On a positive note, most of the reservoir still has thick ice and my two friends and I had a delightful skate this afternoon. The snow does not seem to be adhering to the ice so far and the wind has blown the snow off of 3/4 of the reservoir. Well, maybe 2/3rds. The picture gives a better idea, but the skating is still delightful and any case.

Geoff 

[Matt Steinberg]

Hello Everyone,

First of all I am so glad that this was a successful rescue. Major Kudos to Geoff and others for their perseverance in what likely, as Evan pointed out, were actions that resulted in saving this gentleman's life. I just want to reiterate Evan's point of All the Gear All the Time. I have several friends who grew up playing hockey on ponds and driving snowmobiles across the lakes who laugh at all of my safety gear. As we have all experienced these past two seasons, the ice we skate on is getting thinner and more unreliable. I remember years of two foot thick ice on Mascoma and we never got past 7 inches last year and only skimmed over completely for the first time this year in the past 2 days.

 As someone who has been through surface ice rescue training as well as had to self rescue, please make sure you and those you skate with have safety gear. I never go out onto wild ice without flotation, ice picks, and my throw rope. I will second Evan that floatation is extremely important. If your floatation is a backpack, make sure it is waterproof and that you either have a well fitting waist belt tightly fastened or a leg loop or a crotch strap. If you don't then the pack will float, you will sink, and when you come back up the pack will be on your head pushing your face down into the water. I have experienced this first hand during my rescue training and can confirm that it greatly affects your ability to self rescue. When I had to self rescue when skating, I had to pull my body up onto weak ice several times and allow it to break under me before getting back to supportable ice. Had I not had floatation, this would have been much more difficult. Picks are also essential to get yourself out. Practice with them. It is not really easy or feasible for most people to practice pulling themselves out but at least make sure you know how they work and perhaps lay on your belly and practice pulling yourself across the ice. You don't want to have the first time you try to use them be when you need them and you spend valuable time fumbling around. Lastly, carry a rope. Like was mentioned earlier, your rope is to save others in your party. Your partner's rope is for you, not for them. Practice using your rope, it sounds simple but as we have just witnessed, it can certainly not go as planned. Again, when someone's life depends on it you don't want to be pulling out your rope and trying to figure it out for the first time.

Jamie and I have been discussing having an ice rescue course. It is very difficult to have people get in the water and you need EMS, ambulances, clear it with the police, and fire etc. so instead what we are thinking is that I will volunteer, with my dry suit, to go into the ice and we will demonstrate several real world scenarios and rescues. I will demonstrate getting myself out with picks, we will demonstrate the use of throw ropes and perhaps allow attendees to practice using a throw rope to get me out as well. This is still in the idea phase, we need ice and an appropriate venue but if you would be interested in attending, let me know. If no one is interested, I can find better things to do that day than float in icy water. Please be safe out there everyone and again great job to those who pulled off a challenging rescue today. 

Matt

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[State and Main Mediation]

That would be above and beyond valuable training. A lot to ask. Thank you

Thank you,

Pat

802-456-8708

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[Daniel Spada]

This is such an important topic.  I was going to write a long message, but I would be repeating much of what Evan and Matt have already covered.  They are right on with their recommendations of ATGATT, flotation, throw bag type and use, visualization, etc.  The only thing I would add is that each year at the beginning of the skate season, I send out a letter to the members of the ADKNordicSkating group that goes over how to prepare for the upcoming season.  One of the items invariably in that letter are links to a video about Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gOW8ZaYqHA) and to Dr. Geisbrecht's webpage at UManitoba (http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/kinrec/about/giesbrecht.html ) .  He's a  human physiologist who has done extensive research on the human response to cold water.  I believe he was the person who came up with the 1-10-1 concept that Evan referred to previously.  Bob Dill also recommends these vids on his lakeice page. I make it a point to view the video at the beginning of each season as a way to help visualize how to self rescue as well as to remind myself that cold water immersion is not a death sentence.

Finally, cowboys practice throwing a lariat all the time.  We should also practice accessing and throwing our throw bags regularly.

Dan  

  

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[Tom Duca]

Short addendum to an important discussion:

Just pulling yourself up onto the ice is very difficult, even for those with strong upper bodies. 

Whenever possible it is best to kick your legs; think swimming the crawl stroke. 

This helps lift your body up and parallel to the ice surface. 

It is then much easier to exit the water as you slide across the ice like an otter using your ice picks to pull/propell you forward. 

I and many of us have done this. 

There are videos which show this maneuver. 

Watch them. 

Visualize them. 

And if you fall through the ice always remember RULE # 1 - DON’T PANIC, stay calm, think clearly.  

Respectfully, 

Tom d.  

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[David Huck]

Matt, and others,

I think Wrightsville may provide a useful situation for thick ice and thinner ice to schedule something like this for the future. I would volunteer to go in, but probably would wear a wetsuit. 

Thanks for sharing the visualization and video links. I can attest to the power of visualization to prepare one’s body. 

David

[Tom Duca]

Yes Skoda. 

This video talks about remaining calm and kicking your legs to raise your body and then sliding away from the hole. Staying flat, then on all fours and then standing and walking to shore.

The narrator stays calm throughout his experience of being in the water. He has confidence in his ability to self-rescue. He has practiced both literally and mentally.  

These skills are important in all outdoor endeavors. 

Respectfully,

Tom d. 

On Fri, Jan 5, 2024 at 12:54 AM Skoda Werks <hogg...@gmail.com> wrote:

You mean this.  How to Survive a Fall Through Ice (youtube.com)

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[Daniel Spada]

Same message and technique as in the Geisbrecht video except G suggests rolling away from the hole once you get on ice. I’ve done that and it works very well.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 5, 2024, at 18:11, Tom Duca <tdu...@gmail.com> wrote:



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