Articles & Reviews

Firefighters train for the ice

PETAWAWA - It may have been a frigid weekend outdoors but it was the perfect training environment for the town's firefighters. The Petawawa Fire Department qualified another four ice/cold water rescue technicians during two days of drills at Petawawa Point where the fast-moving currents of the Ottawa River provided a suitable training ground.

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Stranded dogs rescued in Surrey, BC

Rescue operation was launched after two dogs became stranded in the middle of a frozen pond.

Arvada Fire officials: Body found in car in Clear Creek

Swift Water Rescue Team pulls two girls to safety
in Oriskany Creek

Small deer trapped in ice 150 feet off shore
Methow Valley News

Fisherman rescued from the Chattahoochee River
Incident Report, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services
(PDF format)

Ice rescue drill turns into more than practice
The Malcolm Daily, February 19, 2004
(PDF format)

Advanced Rescue Technology Water Rescue Competition
Advanced Rescue Technology - Feb/Mar 2004
(PDF format)

"I'm impressed with the range of rescue applications the RDC can perform well."
FireRescue Magazine - May 2003
(PDF format - 1.8MB)

Rescuers feared they'd find a body, but Christopher Watt survived his ordeal in an Ottawa sanitary sewer.
The Ottawa Citizen - June 2002
(PDF format)

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Testimonials

Good morning, i just wanted to say thank you for creating an awesome ice water rescue product. Yesterday we were called to a local lake where a canine had fallen through the ice. The large dog was roughly 200 yards from shore and in severe distress. We quickly deployed our RDC and headed out for the rescue. We could not have rescued this dog without the open design of the RDC because the dog was too heavy to lift into the owners canoe. We simply slid the RDC over the dog and easily lifted it onto the rescue platform. The canine was shivering and very cold but survived thanks to your awesome product. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

From the gang at the Norway Fire Department, Norway Maine

We purchased an RDC from your company a couple of years ago and I just wanted to tell you that we finally got to train on it and it is one of the best pieces of rescue equipment I've ever used, and beats the ice shelf impaling our rib cages.

Thank you,
Daniel Keller, Fire Chief
New Market Community Vol. Fire Department
New Market, IN

This product is integral in protecting my fire fighters.

It was a pleasure to speak to you today. As I mentioned, it is rare that we purchase a product and discover that it not only meets the claims made by the manufacturer, but far exceeds the claims. You should be very proud of the fact that the Oceanid not only exceeds your claims, it far exceeds our most optimistic expectations. As an example, the following is a list of the benefits of the craft from an operational perspective:

The Oceanid is an inexpensive piece of equipment that can easily be integrated into a front line response protocol. As I indicated to you, our original intention was to use the craft as an adjunct to our specialized response protocol. This protocol included a delayed response that followed the arrival of front line apparatus. After a single training cycle it was clear that our entire response protocol could be changed to allow the Oceanid to be the focus of any water or ice rescue incident. This change includes the utilization of a rescue craft on front line apparatus, which shortens response times and the exposure period.

Our training requirement for water related incident is substantially shorter utilizing the Oceanid. Rather then completing a multitude of training evolutions to cover a range of topics the utilization of the Oceanid allow us to focus on two training modality, simple person to person contact in water or ice conditions and rescue using the Oceanid. On average this reduces training time for a water ice program by approximately 20 hours per firefighter on initial training and by eight hours on an annual refresher basis. From a financial perspective the Oceanid will pay for itself very quickly.

The Oceanid offers a high degree of firefighter safety, and the utilization of multiple units ensure that effective backup assets can quickly be engaged.

A common issue in water and ice rescue is related to the reality of variable conditions in the same incident. The Oceanid allows for two person deployment, and even if the rescuers exhaust themselves making contact, shore support with line control can ensure that physical effort required for recovery can be applied to assist the rescuers.

A secondary safety feature that is gained with the utilization of the Oceanid is the existence of a stable work platform right at the site of the rescue. Working from above the victim allows for exceptional control for the rescuer and minimal potential for risk created by contact at water level. The rescuer is always in a control position and at the point when the victim is in a position to become combative they are out of the water.

As I indicated to you I would be happy to endorse this product as it is integral in protecting my fire fighters. I do not believe there is another product on the market which allows for this level of protection, while providing a rapid deployment, and effective results.

I indicated to you that I am an associate instructor with the Ontario Fire College and that I have delivered numerous water and ice rescue programs to fire services around the Province. While the Ontario Fire College do not endorse specific products, I do identify the value of the Oceanid as it would be doing the student a disservice not to. The advantage that the Oceanid has is the ease of use will allow the benefits to be quickly evident regardless of my opinion.

Please feel free to use this email as an endorsement of the product, and if you need additional information supporting my academic or fire service credentials, or you would like to use me for a reference do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you

Frank Sheppard, Fire Chief/CEMC
Fort Frances Fire Rescue Service

Best fit and finish.

Received the carpet floor and have it installed – great protection for the inflatable floor. I have to compliment you on your products – everything we have purchased for the RDC, including the boat itself, is of the highest quality and best fit and finish. I find it very unusual to find your quality in the products on the market today. Your installation instructions are always spot on too.

Thanks for providing such outstanding rescue equipment.
Carol Field, Swan Mission SAR

Snowmobile through ice on Lake Gogebic

I just want to thank you for shipping the RDC before we were able to pay for it completely.  If it wasn’t for your cooperation I don’t think we would have had the equipment in place for the emergency call we had tonight.

We got a call from the state police that they were responding to a snowmobile through the ice on Lake Gogebic.  The call was in the ajoining county, but we responded at their request with our SAR Team and RDC.  Our closest access point took us out on the lake about 800 ft then across 20-30 ft of open water to the victim.  The RDC worked like a dream.  When we had the victim secured and were pulling the craft back in, it slid so easy we thought the rope broke.  We had two rescuers and a victim that was near 400 lbs on it.

Thanks again for your cooperation and we hope to order the motor bracket and the underguard in the near future.

SCOTT VOIT
GOGEBIC COUNTY SEARCH & RESCUE