COURSE DESCRIPTION
This online instructor-led awareness course gives you a clear, no-BS introduction to ice rescue operations. It's built for firefighters, EMS, SAR, law enforcement, and public works personnel who work around ice-covered water—not on it.
Online Instructor-Led Format
This course is delivered live via video conference with a qualified instructor. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, participate in discussions, and interact with other students in real-time—all from wherever you are. Scheduled sessions are listed on our course calendar.
The mission is simple: keep you from going through the ice, keep your crew from following you in, and help you support a competent ice rescue team without becoming another victim.
The focus is straightforward:
- Keep yourself and your crew out of trouble
- Recognize unsafe ice conditions before someone goes in
- Know what "good" looks like when the ice rescue team shows up
- Understand when it's time to back off and call for more capability
You'll learn how ice forms and fails, common accident patterns, low-risk shore-based tactics (talk, reach, throw), basic gear recognition, and how to support ice rescue operations within ICS—without pretending you can learn suit work from behind a screen.
This course is awareness only, not a skills sign-off.
BY THE END OF THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:
Explain your role and limits as awareness-level personnel
Recognize unsafe ice conditions and high-risk behaviors before someone goes in
Identify key hazards: variable ice strength, moving water under ice, shore breaks, cold stress, and after-drop
Apply low-risk rescue priorities: talk, reach, throw, row (and why "go" is last and not for awareness level)
Support an ice or surface water rescue team within ICS: establish zones, control bystanders, manage access/egress points
Determine when an event exceeds local capability and requires higher-level teams or mutual aid
.jpeg)
INDUSTRY & STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
Content follows current industry best practices and aligns with the awareness-level expectations found in NFPA 1006 and NFPA 2500 (Standard for Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents and Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services) for ice and surface water rescue—but all translated into practical, street-ready terms instead of code-book language.
.jpeg)
FORMAT & LENGTH
- Live instruction via video conference with a qualified instructor
- Interactive Q&A and discussion throughout the session
- Real-time scenarios and case studies with instructor feedback
- Knowledge checks throughout and a final awareness exam
- Designed as one full training day equivalent (6–8 hours), may be split across sessions
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- Computer, tablet, or smartphone with camera and microphone
- Stable internet connection
- Quiet space where you can participate without distractions
- Notebook and pen for taking notes
A link to join the video conference will be sent to your email before the scheduled session.
CERTIFICATE
Students receive an Ice Rescue Awareness – Online Instructor-Led completion certificate documenting hours and topics covered. Final competency, operational authorization, and any formal certification stay with your department or Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). This course is designed to make those next steps cleaner and safer—not to replace them.
COURSE INFO
View upcoming dates on our schedule