With temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees northern Manitoba RCMP members were in Thompson to spend five hours in and out of the water at Paint Lake all for training purposes. Sergeant Ben Sewell explains it’s a two day course so one day is in the classroom and the second day is all spent in the water so officers don dry suits and they go into the water and practice rescuing themselves and they also practice rescuing other people who are unable to help themselves.
Sewell introduced ice rescue training to the RCMP in Northern Manitoba four years ago. He says it’s important to know since police often conduct work on and around ice.