By Glenn Hicks

UPDATED: Ice rescue on river after woman falls from rail bridge

Jan 1, 2019 | 12:35 PM

UPDATED:

It was a dramatic start to New Year’s for the Prince Albert Fire Department Tuesday with an ice rescue on the river in the early morning hours.

According to Jay Zablocki, acting battalion commander, the overnight crew had dealt with a woman who had fallen onto the frozen river surface from the bridge. Another person was on the ice as well when they arrived for the emergency call at 4:22 a.m.

Zablocki said while they do get calls to rescue people who have ventured out on the ice, in this case a woman had actually fallen.

“This was someone who had fallen off the bridge,” he told paNOW. He added the early winter icy river surface was inconsistent and it was not a good idea for anyone to be near it. “The river is volatile and there are lots of open areas.”

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The crew responded with their special inflatable RDC (Rapid Deployment Craft). While one person was able to walk off the ice the other needed to be taken off by the boat.

Both were taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

Zablocki said it was not unheard of for crews to respond to this particular area of the river.

“We attend to this part of the city quite often, we train for that, and we know this is one of those high-frequency calls that we attend,” he said.

Paramedics offer further details

Parkland Ambulance paramedics later issued a media release in which they stated two females with hypothermia and injuries had been attended to.

They said a 25 year old female had been transferred to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon in serious but stable condition while another 25 year old female was treated and released from local hospital.

It was unknown to paramedics and the fire department as to what the exact circumstances were surrounding the incident. 

With files from Sarah Wallace 

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow