2 women rescued from ice under rail bridge in Prince Albert

by Glen Hicks for paNow

It was a dramatic start to 2019 for the Prince Albert Fire Department with an ice rescue on the river in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

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

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.

Parkland Ambulance paramedics issued a media statement confirming two women were treated for hypothermia and other injuries.

They said a 25-year-old woman had been transferred to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon in serious but stable condition, while another 25-year-old woman was treated and released from Victoria Hospital.

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.”

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