Yesterday the Swift Current Fire Department responded to a call of a dog on thin ice. While the dog was rescued, it could have as easily been a kid falling through.

The rescue itself took just over a minute. Ryan Hunter was the acting deputy at the scene.

"Well we got a call that a fellow was running his dog, and the dog went down on the ice and it actually broke through," he said. "We have had those calls in the past, especially this time of year with the thin ice, so our crews responded with our proper gear, and we went out there and performed a rescue."

Obviously it's not ideal to have dogs fall through ice, but the scenario does give the department some good practice.

"It would be no different than if it was a person going through," said Hunter. "Our equipment, our materials, and the way we respond are the same."

Here's video taken by the fire department showing Doug Leibel gliding across the ice for the rescue.

 

"This dog was approximately 75 pounds, and we have a lot of kids that think they can play on the ice that are heavier than that. It's just not safe," said Hunter.

Highs in the weather forecast are in the positives through to next week.