Ice rescue training is done annually and is broken up into two parts -- first there is five hours of classroom instruction training Yonkers firefighters have at the fire department's headquarters in the morning. The second part is hands-on training, which was done this week in the afternoons at Tibbetts Brook Park.
In this training group there were 120 firefighters, but they were broken up into 30 per day for training, as training was held on four different days. This training results in the firefighter being state certified
There are four dedicated units of the Yonkers Fire Department that are assigned to ice rescue training, Squad 11, Ladder 75, Engine 312 and Rescue 1.
"It is the perfect time for ice rescue training with the temperatures getting higher," said Capt. John Folkerts.
"This training is relevant, because as firefighters retire and new firefighters come in, this training helps to reinforce the skills of the current firefighters and gives the new ones the opportunity to learn these skills," said Chief Kevin Ford.
Why did the Yonkers Fire Department use Tibbetts for the training?
"Both sides of the lake are being used for training and there is running water too. One side of the lake is 18 inches thick of ice and on the other end of the lake there is 2-3 inches thick of ice," Folkerts said.
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