The Cass County Sheriff's Office, Cass Lake Fire Department and Hackensack Fire and Rescue held its 14th Annual Ice Rescue Training Course Jan. 31 on Cass Lake.
About 80 participants from over 25 agencies participated in the cold water rescue training exercise.
A classroom ice rescue technician course was held at the Hackensack Fire Department and about 35 ice rescue technicians were certified or re-certified in the course.
Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch said the goal is to bring area agencies together to work with equipment, view new purchases of equipment and develop a good working relationship should an emergency arise in a department's area. Several exercises took place in the open channel between Cass Lake and Pike Bay. The Lakes Area Dive Team participated with ice dive scenarios and The Central Lakes Search and Rescue group conducted a K9 demonstration on the ice.
Agencies participating in the exercise included: Backus Fire Department, Belle Plain Fire Department, Bemidji Fire Department, Leech Lake Ambulance, Cass County Sheriff's Office Chaplaincy Program, Cass County TRIAD, Cass Lake Fire Department, Leech Lake DRM, Central Lakes Search and Rescue, Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota DNR, Dickinson (N.D.) Fire Department, Hackensack Fire Department, Lakeport Fire Department, Lake Shore Police Department, Lakes Area Dive Team, Longville Fire Department, Mahnomen County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota DNR Enforcement, Nevis Fire Department, Polk County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Forest Service.
