Firefighters rescue man who fell through ice on lake near Brooklyn, N.S.

A 70-year-old man is fortunate to be alive, firefighters say, after he fell through ice while skating last week in Hants County.

A local resident spotted the man at Panuke Lake near Brooklyn, N.S., at around lunchtime on Jan. 7 and called emergency services. 

"He got very lucky that day," said Bill Hazel, a deputy chief with the Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department, pointing out the location of the mishap is not a well-travelled area at that time of day.

The first units to respond arrived on the scene at approximately 12:55 p.m. It took five minutes for firefighters to prepare to go on the ice.

Two firefighters were then sent onto the lake with an ice rescue sled device that allowed them to pull the man up. It took 11 minutes to rescue the man from the water. 

The man spent approximately 40 to 60 minutes in the water, estimated Hazel, who led the rescue team.

He said the man is an experienced Nordic-style skater but came across a portion of the ice that was not as consistent in thickness as other parts of the lake. 

The ice was about 2.5 centimetres thick where the man fell through, Hazel said, with varying thickness across the rest of the lake.

According to Canadian Red Cross guidelines, ice should be at least 15 centimetres thick for anyone walking or skating alone, and 20 centimetres thick for a group or hockey game. The guidelines say that clear blue ice where you can see into the depths is the strongest.

The man did have some safety equipment like a device to check ice thickness, but not a personal flotation device (PFD).

Hazel advises people going out onto ice to be aware of its thickness and to be properly equipped with safety equipment like a PFD and ice awls — ice picks that can be used for self-rescue.

Asked about the condition of the man they rescued, Hazel said, "We were lucky enough to meet with him here at the fire station on Saturday, and I believe he'll make a full recovery."