Huntsville/Lake of Bays firefighters, along with OPP and Muskoka Paramedic Services, responded to Scott’s Point on Fairy Lake in Huntsville for a person that had fallen through the ice.
A male had travelled out onto the frozen portion of the river to try and rescue his dog that had ventured out onto the ice. He had broken through the ice but was able to use a kayak to stabilize himself till rescuers arrived. OPP Officers attempted to use throw bags to help the man, while firefighters entered the ice and pulled the man to safety. He was checked by Muskoka Paramedic Services. The dog also survived.
Police and firefighters are warning the public that ice conditions are rapidly deteriorating and advising residents to stay off the ice. If you must venture onto the ice, wear a thermal protection buoyant suit to increase your chances of survival if you fall through. If you do not have one, wear a lifejacket/PFD .
If you need to assist someone that has fallen through the ice:
- Do not attempt to go out on the ice
- Push or throw a stick, rope or floating aid to the victim
- Call 911 immediately for assistance to get help fast
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So wonderful everything came out good. How is your dog? ok? it must have been a trauma for her but luckily she/he has a loving owner.
Great Work!
I would have done the same to rescue my Beagle.
regards from Switzerland
Love that you told your story. I would have done the same. This same situation happened to my father many years ago – but with a canoe and in Bala. Glad you and Zeke are ok.
Hey there Roger. I thought I would provide my point of view to the story if you were curious to hear. During an unfortunate lapse in supervision, my dog Zeke ventured out onto the ice to where the ice met the water, and the ice broke under him. Upon spotting him about 40 feet out from land, and seeing him struggling to keep his upper body out of the water, I knew that I couldn’t wait on shore out of fear that he would succumb to exhaustion and slip under the water.
Without much time to think, I took a kayak onto the ice and pushed out to his location. When I got to him, the ice broke under the kayak as it was less than an inch thick. I could not pull him into the boat while I was in it, so I had to get into the water in order to lift him up into the boat. After that I pulled myself into the boat, and did my best to cover him with my upper body and arms to keep him warm. I considered trying to make it to shore, but I knew that 911 had been called by my mother, and that it would be better to wait for the response team to help me than risk moving too much and tipping over.
The response team mobilized extremely quickly and had a system set up to send a craft out where I was on the ice within minutes. After being pulled in, they made sure that I was okay, and checked my vital signs in an ambulance. I want to thank every single person who was involved in the rescue operation as well as the emergency medical response team. I feel very fortunate that Zeke and I are safe and unharmed from the incident.
What is the full story? He stabilised himself with a kayak, but was he smart enough to use the kayak in the first place to get onto the ice?