Fire departments team up to practice ice rescues in Palatine

Three suburban fire departments recently joined forces to practice ice rescues.

Firefighters from Palatine Rural Fire Protection District, Palatine Fire Department and Rolling Meadows Fire Department performed ice surface rescue training at Twin Lakes Golf Course and Recreation Area in Palatine.

The firefighters practiced responding to reports of a person who had fallen through thin ice. Crews from each department worked together as they practiced crawling to the trapped person wearing cold-water rescue suits while tethered to a safety line.

The annual training is designed to prepare firefighters from the three fire departments to quickly deploy rescuers if someone falls through ice.