RAPID RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – With warm temperatures causing dangerous conditions for ice fishermen on Little Bay De Noc, Delta County’s Ice Rescue team has responded to several emergency calls this week. Thanks to the generosity of a local business, one Ice Rescue agency can now get to those in danger as quickly as possible.
“Delta County Ice Rescue includes Search and Rescue, Gladstone Public Safety, Gladstone Volunteer Fire Department, Ensign Township Fire Department, Masonville Fire Department, and Masonville EMS,” said Masonville Township Fire Department Chief John Vandeville. “We all respond as one. All our law enforcement agencies, they all work with us.”
When dispatched to an ice rescue, the Masonville Township Fire Department receives the coordinates of the incident.
“We did not have a way to put them into a system that would get us close,” Vandeville said. “A lot of guys would be using phones, but when we wear our big ice suits, it’s very hard to operate your phone, anything small.”
That has changed thanks to a donation from Blade’s Bait & Tackle in Gladstone.
“A bunch of them at the department are ice anglers and they patronize our shop,” said owner and operator Paul ‘Blade’ Bloedorn. “They asked if I could probably get ahold of an electronic that would help them navigate and be more efficient getting to places. I found one and we just donated it.”
With the new GPS device on their rescue boat, crews can now get a more precise location for each rescue.
“It’s a perfect lifesaver because we can punch in coordinates and it’ll put us right in where we need to be,” said Vandeville.
“It’s going to give you an overview map of whether you’re on the lake or land, any waypoints that you may have marked along the bay or on land on trails,” Assistant Chief Richard Poma explained.
Poma says it also aids responders in returning to land safely.
“If it’s foggy, if it’s pouring down rain, if it’s snowing and you can’t see 50 feet in front of you, you can follow that track exactly—almost within feet—to get there and to get back to EMS,” he said.
Bloedorn has his own experience with ice conditions on Little Bay De Noc.
“I have an outfitting operation along with the bait and tackle shop, so it’s in my interest to make sure I keep our guests safe,” he said. “I’m out there checking ice at least once a day.”
He says the GPS is an invaluable tool to have when someone is in danger on the ice.
“Typically, it’s something that comes up when somebody’s not where they’re supposed to be, and those are places that you can’t get to real easy,” said Bloedorn. “If you have navigation and you can get that information soon, they can get there faster.”
That faster response time can be the difference between life and death on the lake.
“Every minute you’re in the water, there’s a chance of hypothermia setting in,” said Vandeville. “The quicker we can get to them and the quicker we can get them out, the better chances they have at survival.”
Blade’s Bait & Tackle posts a daily ice report on bladesbait.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Click here to view the Masonville Township Fire Department’s Facebook page.
Anyone in need of ice rescue services should contact Central Dispatch at (906) 786-5911.
