Smiths Falls, Ont. firefighter recounts dramatic ice rescue

Smiths Falls teen rescued from ice A teenager in Smiths Falls was rescued after falling through the ice on Friday afternoon caught in a video by police.

Fire officials in Smiths Falls are warning the public over the dangers of ice after a 14-year-old boy fell into freezing waters on Friday afternoon.

"I think there was a group of young fellows that were walking along and one of them chose to attempt to cross the ice to the other side, and unfortunately he went through," Smiths Falls fire chief Rick Chesebrough told CTV News.

Veteran Smiths Falls firefighter Hogan Fitzgerald was one of two first responders who ventured out onto the frozen Rideau River to rescue the boy.

"We did initially make contact with the 14-year-old boy that was in the water, yelling at him to make sure that we were coming for him," Fitzgerald recalled.

Fire officials say the teenager was likely in the water for at least 10 minutes before being pulled to safety.

"Very slurred speech with the boy, and his body movements, there wasn't much left for him to be able to help us out with," Fitzgerald said.

"It was great just to get him to shore and he was definitely hypothermic."

Chesebrough says the boy was taken to hospital and was released later that day.

Smiths Falls Police shared video of the rescue on social media as an educational tool, urging the public to be cautious around frozen bodies of water.

After the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa opened to the public on Saturday morning, officials believe there may be a misconception that other regional bodies of water may have frozen safely as well.

"In Ottawa on the Rideau Canal, that's monitored on a daily basis," said Chesebrough.

"It's flooded on a daily basis. The ice thickness is checked morning, noon, and night to ensure that it's safe. We're out on lakes or ponds or streams or the main river, those areas aren't checked."

He says four inches of ice is needed to safely support the weight of one adult. At the time, the 14-year-old went through the ice, he believes the ice was only two inches at most.

The fire chief is now cautioning those venturing out onto frozen waterways.

"It's critical for anyone that's going out, don't be alone, number one. Number two, check the ice as you're going. Not just once, but continually check it. Ice conditions change within a matter of feet," he said.

Fitzgerald says he is thankful the situation turned out as it did.

"You go out there and do the job that you're trained to do and get them back to shore safely, and fortunately it was it was a good outcome."