HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Two ice fishermen were rescued after falling through ice on Lower Scott Lake in Lee Township Sunday afternoon, according to Allegan County Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Ensfield.
Police were called at 4:24 p.m. Responders included Allegan County Sheriff’s deputies, Michigan State Police, a Michigan DNR officer, and Lee Township firefighters responded, heading to an area near 54th Street and 110th Avenue.
The first responder on the scene, an Allegan County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to Casco Township, who is also on the county’s dive-rescue team, found brothers, ages 60 and 62 in the water and third man using a small boat attempting to rescue the duo.
The deputy, aided by a state trooper, were able to rescue one man, who’d gotten himself on top of the ice.
The officers then threw a rescue line to the second man, aiding him in getting onto the ice, where they told him to flatten out his body and roll toward shore, where they were able to able to throw a rescue line to the second male and once he was out of the water onto the thin ice, they instructed him to flatten out and roll towards the shore until they were able to pull him to safety. Ensfield estimated the men were in the water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Ensfield said the brothers are longtime residents of Lower Scott Lake and each have nearly 30 years of ice fishing experience, but did not have any safety gear with them. They were checked by AMR ambulance, showed signs of hypothermia and small cuts from the ice, both declined the offer to go by ambulance to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
The Allegan County Sheriff’s deputies worked with state troopers, the DNR officials, AMR EMTs, and firefighters from Lee and Clyde townships’ firefighters.
“We would like to remind everyone that no ice is safe ice,” Ensfield said in a statement. “If you are going to venture out on a frozen lake or pond, we ask you to take reasonable safety precautions.”
He says if you plan to go out onto the ice should let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to return. Bring proper safety gear: a personal flotation device, ice picks, whistle, a phone and other safety equipment.
People going out onto the ice should test the thickness, he said, and not walk out on ice that is less than 4 inches thick, at a minimum.
