Ice rescue conference planned at Muskegon County's Bear Lake

NORTH MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - A western Michigan fire department will hold a statewide ice rescue conference on Bear Lake in Muskegon County.

The Muskegon Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/1EF1AdN ) Saturday that the Jan. 31 event will feature U.S. Coast Guard ice rescue demonstrations and hovercraft demonstrations by the North Muskegon Fire Department.

The fire department says in a release that the conference and education day is designed for fire and rescue personnel and the public.

Training officer Jeff Hedges says the department has been using hovercrafts for rescues since the 1980s. Their original hovercraft has more than 200 documented rescues.

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Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/muskegon