Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A dive team rescue on Washington Lake in Wescott on Wednesday underscores the hazards of venturing out onto potentially thin ice that has been deteriorating with the early spring weather.
“People are still out there fishing,” said Capt. Tom Tuma of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.
“They have to realize that a lot of the water around here is moving water,” he said. “We have a lot of spring-fed lakes. You may walk out in the morning on what is seemingly safe ice and by the time you get prepared to come in, it may be gone or it may be significantly deteriorated to the point where you’re going to go through.”
The Sheriff’s Department Dive Team, Shawano Ambulance Service and the Shawano police and fire departments responded about 4:46 p.m. Wednesday to several 911 calls about a man who had fallen through the ice.
The 66-year-old was chest-deep in the water and clinging to an ice shelf, Tuma said.
The man had been ice fishing most of the day before falling through.
There were already two bystanders on scene when the first sheriff’s deputy arrived.
“There was a civilian on scene trying to throw him a rope,” Tuma said, and a second bystander with what was described as a type of kayak. “They tied the rope to one end and got it out to him. The officer and the civilians pulled him out.”
The man had reportedly been in the water about 30 minutes.
Tuma said he was very lucky.
“Within the first eight to 10 minutes, you’re losing function of your extremities,” he said. “Very shortly after that, your cognitive ability begins to become impaired. It’s not getting the oxygen, everything is cooling down, your core temperature. So you’re not thinking as clearly as you were when you went into the water.”
The man refused medical attention after the incident.
“Everybody at the scene did a great job,” Tuma said, “and much thanks to the individuals that helped the responding officer get him out.”
Tuma said this has been a relatively quiet year for the dive team, with a winter season marked by unusual weather.
“We went from really bad ice because of the extended warm weather to getting very cold and making very good ice,” he said. “Now we’re seeing the ice receding from the shoreline.”
Ice shacks were supposed to be off the ice weeks ago, but some people are still making their way across the open water to the ice that’s left.
“We will never say the ice is safe,” Tuma said. “I’m suspect of that ice. I don’t care what time of year it is.”
It’s particularly treacherous this time of year.
“Certainly at this point in the season, when you get anything above freezing with winds, it will deteriorate ice rapidly,” he said. “Any rain will rapidly deteriorate it. Just the sunshine alone if it’s above 32 is going to cause what may have been firm in the morning to turn to slush very quickly.”
Tuma said people also have to realize it’s not just themselves they are putting at risk when venturing out onto uncertain ice.
“Any time we send emergency responders, we’re doing so at a risk to those responders,” he said.
The cost of the response will also be billed back to the victim.
“We’re very fortunate throughout the county to have fire, police and various agencies that are kind of spread out that can respond to the scene,” Tuma said.
For those who insist on venturing out onto the ice, Tuma recommended having someone they can check in with periodically who knows their expected time of return.
He also suggested people check with their local bait shops first about the current ice conditions.
Also, Tuma said, “at this time of year, I’d recommend a life jacket.”