Even though the Marlboro Fire Department has not, to date, rescued anyone from a freezing pond or an icy river, they still hold training sessions every year for the possibility that one day they might be called to aid someone in peril.

Marlboro Fire Chief Erick Masten credits former chief Bobby Troncillito for initiating the training some years ago by reaching out to Lifeguard Systems in Shokan, NY. and scheduling a training class in surface ice water rescue for his department.

On Saturday the department braved single digit temperatures and went out to the Town Park to practice on a frozen pond.

“In one evolution we were using an ice water rescue sled and in the other evolution we were doing without the sled; just going out single man with the rescue strap,” Masten said.

Chief Masten said several factors go into deciding which method to use.

“How long the victim has been in the water, how much can your victim help you with the rescue and can he still kick his legs or is he going into shock; at that point we would probably use the sled because we can bring the sled in the water and the victim can put their arms through a loop on the sled and we pull the two out of the water using the main line,” Masten said.

Masten said when using the sled the victim’s body lies completely in the bowl of the sled and the rescuer lies on top but slightly to the rear in order to slightly raise the front of the sled.

“That lifts the nose up enough to get back up on the ice shelf and they can drag it in,” he said. “The bottom of the sled has rails on it so once on the ice it’s like an ice skate and it will zip along the top of the ice,” he said.

Masten said his company is absolutely committed to being prepared.

“It just goes to show the guys willingness to come out on a Saturday morning to train in 21 degree weather and with the wind chill it was easily in the single digits; it shows where their mind set is,” he said. “We had about twenty guys out there taking time out of their lives to prepare themselves to serve the community.”