Capital City Fire and Rescue will host an ice safety workshop Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, from 1:30 – 3 p.m. The program will begin in the visitor center auditorium with a video and slide show illustrating the effects of cold water immersion and rescue techniques. An outdoor demonstration follows with a rescue from an icy pond adjacent to the visitor center.
“This program is aimed at keeping people safe in winter,” said visitor center director John Neary. “Being prepared and knowing how to save yourself and those around you in case you fall through ice is a really important skill.”
CCFR special team Engineers Jayme Johns, Brady Fink, and Captain Travis Mead will conduct the training and rescue demonstration along with members of the department and volunteers. As part of the indoor training, the rescuers will show a video featuring Canadian researcher Gordon Geisbrecht, also known as “Professor Popsicle” for his cold water immersion studies. Geisbrecht intentionally skis into a hole cut into a frozen lake and describes his reaction to the onset of hypothermia. Another aspect of the program will be a description of some of the hazardous pond sites around Juneau where adults, children and pets can get into trouble with thin ice.
“We are hosting this valuable session for the public to let people know the dangers of being on Mendenhall Lake and other places that appear safe but harbor truly hazardous conditions for the unwary,” said visitor center naturalist Laurie Craig.
For more information call 907-789-0097.
This is the link to Dr. Geisbrecht’s demonstration video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gOW8ZaYqHA
