A man was rescued from the Saskatchewan River in Grand Rapids by an RCMP officer trained in ice rescue Jan. 13.
Grand Rapids RCMP received a call for assistance from the bridge spanning the river around 9 a.m. Wednesday and arrived to see an adult man being carried downstream by the strong current. Officers instructed the man to swim toward the edge of the ice and he did so after being carried about 50 feet further downstream.
Police tried to reach the man with a rope throw bag but were unsuccessful. As he was beginning to lose consciousness, an RCMP officer trained as an ice rescue technician tied the rope from the throw bag around his chest and crawled out onto the ice while other officers and emergency responders acted as anchors. The officer grabbed the male and together they were pulled to safety and transported to the nursing station. The officer was not injured during the rescue while the man he rescued suffered minor injuries.
About 90 RCMP officers in Manitoba have been trained over the last nine year in ice rescue, which is offered to all officers, particularly those serving in the north.
