Salina/Saline County first responders conducted an Ice Rescue Operations training session at a frozen lake.

On Tuesday the Salina Fire Department (SFD) and the Saline County Mounted Patrol/Rescue Squad (SCMPRS) huddled together for an annual Ice Rescue Operations training session at the lake in Lakewood Park. SFD Battalion Chief Kirk Stover tells KSAL News they get together with the SCMPRS once a year to learn and practice Ice Rescue Operations. He says the thickness level of the ice varies in different areas on a frozen lake.

“During this time, people like to have fun on a frozen lake and it can be dangerous at times. The ice can be very thick in certain areas especially near the shore, but farther out in the lake is when the ice starts to thin” said Stover.

Stover wants parents to be aware and cautious of their children when they go out to a frozen lake.

The SCMPRS is a non-profit organization that is ran by volunteers, who assist and support the community as a first response group. They rely solely on fundraising efforts and charitable donations from the public.

To see their Facebook page, go to https://www.facebook.com/scsmprs

Photo by Nicolas Fierro, KSAL News