Dear Angel Guard Products,

Even though we have not had a chance to use your Rescue Alive in cold weather, or on ice, we have practiced with it on one of the local lakes that our township borders. We are very pleased with its performance, and it has exceeded our expectations in ease of operation, and the safety of the rescuer. My firefighters are impressed with the ease that you can slip the victim into the harness, and that as you slide them into place, you don’t lose anything that you have gained as you pick up on them, and place them into position. We have two large lakes in our area that are connected by a canal that does not freeze over in the winter. We have many ice activities that take place on these lakes. Many times very close to the both ends of this canal. This creates a very real ice rescue problem for our emergency people. We feel much more comfortable knowing that with Rescue Alive, we will be able to attempt rescues of this type, quickly, and with minimum danger to the rescuer.

Sincerely,

Gary Pullen
Fire Chief
Cherry Grove Township Fire Department

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August 10, 1995

Dear Angel Guard Products,

Dear Angel Guard Products,

The Elk River Fire Department responded to an ice/water rescue using the Rescue Alive on March 17, 1995 at 1707 hours. We responded to a dog that was on the ice in the Crow River between the cities of Dayton and Otsego, Minnesota. The Crow River forms the border of the two cities.

Upon arrival of the fire department we found a black lab puppy that had been on the ice in the middle of the river for approximately 3-4 hours. Also, on the scene were the Hennepin County Sheriffs and Wright County Sheriffs’ departments. The people around the scene were not able to get out to rescue the puppy because of open water and thin ice conditions.

Two Elk River firefighters put on Ice/Water Rescue Suits "Gumby Suits" and while tethered with ropes to additional personnel on shore, one firefighter with the Rescue Alive went out to retrieve the puppy. The time for the shore to shore rescue was approximately two minutes. The puppy was suffering from extreme cold and also had a broken leg. The puppy was taken to a local veterinarian for care and today is a healthy normal dog.

The Elk River Fire Department is very pleased to have as part of its winter rescue equipment the "Rescue Alive." If you have any further questions, please feel free to give me a call at (612) 441-4919.

Respectfully,

Bruce A. West
Fire Chief
City of Elk River

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January 7, 1998

Dear Angel-Guard Products,

Please find enclosed a copy of the newspaper article relative to a rescue performed by our department using our "RESCUE ALIVE" rescue platform.

The victim involved had been in the water, approximately 200 feet from shore, for about ten minutes before we received the call. As mentioned in the article, it took only six minutes for us to respond, effect the rescue, and have him on the way to the hospital.

This successful conclusion to a potentially fatal incident can be directly attributed to the ease of assembly and use of the "RESCUE ALIVE" platform.

Thank you for making this product available to the fire service.

Sincerely,

Stan Dixon, Dep. Chief
City of Newburyport Fire Department
Newburyport, MA

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Dear Sirs,

On January 24, 1994 we received a call to #1 fire station from the Grant County Sheriff’s Department stating that a man was trapped in the middle of the Mississinewa River close to the 4-mile bridge on Indiana 15. Deputy Chief Ben Gunion came back to alert rescue diver Webb Stephenson and I to what the situation was and to take the Rescue Alive Ice Rescue Sled and load it on Rescue 1 and respond to this ice emergency.

Upon arriving, I grabbed the safety harness and 2 ropes and Pump 5 pulled up and Captain John Foland directed his crew to carry the sled to the river bank while he setup flood lights to completely illuminate the area. Normally, I would put on a wet suit at this time, but due to amount of time the Deputy believed the man had been in the river (4 hours 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.). I didn’t think I should waste time so I put on the harness and secured a line to myself while the sled was being set up. I then tethered a line to the sled itself and proceeding out onto the river. When I approached the victim (James Sackman) he was mumbling incoherently. And I realized he was severely hypothermic. His upper body was perched on a ice crest and his legs were starting to sink down in the river because of the ice being so thin. His whole body was entirely rigid. I put the velcro straps around his upper body and hoisted him up on the sled. I placed him in the proper position, then turned around and faced the river bank and signaled firefighters Webb Stephenson and Scott Snyder to pull us in. Upon arriving at the shore, we took Mr. Sackman off the sled and loaded him on to a backboard and cot and paramedics from Marion General Hospital whisked him off to E.R.

Submitted by: 

Captain Brain Swanner
Marion Fire Department
Marion, Indiana

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March 13, 1995

Dear Sirs:

The decision was made to obtain ice rescue equipment to better serve our community since the Town of Putnam Valley contains over 27 bodies of water. We are a rural upstate community with approximately 9,000 residents year round. The population swells to over 15,000 during certain seasons. Putnam Valley is also known by the nickname "Town of Lakes" and is served by a volunteer fire department of 100 members.

Your product, "Rescue Alive" was chosen after we viewed many other products. Less than one month after it’s arrival to our department it has proven itself invaluable during a rescue. (See enclosed story) Right after it’s arrival, we joined a neighboring Fire Department in an ice rescue course to learn the proper techniques of ice rescue. After the course we trained for another week in house and it made all the difference.

As the only department in Putnam County who has purchased your product, we feel we made the right choice.

Firematically,

Michael Piehler, Chief
Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

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September 20, 1995

Re: Report On "Rescue Alive"

On Sunday, February 26, 1995, the Cornwall Fire Department received two rescue calls within a 12-hour period involving Ice Water Rescue.

The first call was received at 2:00 p.m. involving a dog which had fallen into the frigid open waters of the St. Lawrence River. When Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene, they witnessed a young man attempting to rescue a dog. Unfortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful.

The second call was received at midnight when a woman fell through the ice and was pulled to safety after several frantic rescue attempts by Police and Fire Departments.

The next morning, Fire Chief O’Reilly and I agreed that we should consider purchasing some type of Ice Water Rescue equipment before a civilian or one of our firefighters lost their lives.

In May of this year, I attended the Ontario Fire Chiefs’ Convention in Brockville and took the opportunity to look at different rescue equipment that would meet our needs. A demonstration video of "Rescue Alive" was provided for us to view. Chief O’Reilly, the Joint Health & Safety Committee, the Training Officer and I unanimously agreed to have a live demonstration. Within two weeks, we purchased the unit along with two dry suits and six lengths of rescue rope, 90 meters long.

All our firefighters are presently trained and feel very comfortable with the platform "Rescue Alive". It is important for the rescuer to feel secure and safe with any piece of equipment. The main features of this unit are that you can walk or run to the victim, chances of entering the water are remote, the victim is never lifted, the rescuer can be pulled to shore at any time during the rescue, there is very little maintenance and it is easy to store.

We have not used the platform on ice yet, but we feel confident that with the proper training, "Rescue Alive" will perform well for us and hopefully save lives.

Yours truly,

Roger Desjardins, Deputy Chief
Cornwall Fire Department
Cornwall, Ontario

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