COURSE DESCRIPTION
The 3-day Ice Rescue Technician course is for teams that are already working on the ice and now need to handle the hard calls—thin and broken ice, multiple victims, bad access, night ops, moving water under ice, and high-consequence scenarios where mistakes cost lives.
You're not just learning more ways to crawl on the ice. You're learning how to run complex ice incidents: manage multiple rescuers and victims, coordinate shore/ice/boat elements, integrate rope systems, and make tight "go/no-go" decisions when conditions are changing and visibility is trash.
The program follows current industry best practices and aligns with technician-level intent in NFPA 1006 and NFPA 2500 for ice and surface water rescue, delivered in blunt, operational terms.
CORE SKILLS & OBJECTIVES
Advanced Size-Up & Incident Management
- Run an Ice/Surface Water Rescue Group within ICS
- Perform dynamic risk assessments as ice, weather, and victim conditions change
- Build, brief, and adjust simple, executable rescue plans for multi-rescuer/multi-victim incidents
Complex Ice & Mixed Environments
- Work in higher-risk environments: thin ice, broken ice fields, pressure ridges, leads, and shore breaks
- Manage incidents involving moving water under or through ice (inlets/outlets, rivers, channels)
- Identify when operations cross from "rescue" to "recovery" and adjust tactics accordingly
Technician-Level Suit & Contact Work
- Execute longer and more complex approaches using sleds, boards, ladders, and multiple support rescuers
- Perform multi-victim and deep-breakthrough rescues within technician scope and AHJ policy
- Coordinate multiple tethered rescuers and changeovers using shore-based team controls
- Manage extended-time victims and rescuers in extreme cold, including hypothermia and after-drop risk
Rope & System Integration on Ice
- Set up and manage rope-based tether systems for multiple rescuers on unstable ice
- Integrate simple mechanical advantage and change-of-direction systems to move rescuers and victims efficiently
- Coordinate with rope rescue, swiftwater, or boat units when incidents cross disciplines
Leadership, Communication & Risk Decisions
- Lead smaller task teams on complex rescues while maintaining big-picture awareness
- Communicate effectively between shore, ice, and command in low-visibility, windy, or noisy environments
- Make and defend disciplined "go/no-go" decisions grounded in conditions, resources, and policy—not emotion
TRAINING METHODS
- Short, targeted classroom segments to frame advanced tactics, ICS roles, and risk management
- High-intensity skill stations: complex approaches, multi-rescuer tethers, system integration, rescuer self-rescue
- Progressive scenario work: multi-victim, low light (as conditions allow), deteriorating ice, and mixed-discipline calls
- Direct instructor critique on both technical performance and leadership/decision-making
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PREREQUISITES & PPE
Prerequisites
- Ice Rescue Operations (or equivalent)
- Demonstrated comfort operating in ice suits and working on broken/variable ice
- Operational fitness appropriate for repeated entries, crawling, pulling victims, and working in cold environments
Required PPE
- Approved ice/surface rescue suits for technicians
- Type V rescue PFDs as required
- Water/ice rescue helmets
- Appropriate thermal layering and dry gloves for extended cold exposure
- Standard agency PPE (gloves, eye protection, radios, lights, etc.)
COMPLIANCE & DOCUMENTATION
This course is designed to align with technician-level ice and surface water rescue competencies in NFPA 1006 and NFPA 2500, and to integrate cleanly with most agency task books and certification processes.
Students who meet performance objectives and scenario standards receive an Ice Rescue Technician – 3 Day completion certificate outlining hours, major skill blocks, and scenario types. Final credentialing, sign-off, and deployment authority remain with the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
COURSE INFO
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