CHICAGO (CBS) — Who could forget the pictures of a college student stuck 1500 feet out on icy Lake Michigan. He wandered onto the lake not realizing how much danger he was in, but he was lucky.
A special ops team rescued him, and only on CBS 2, our Sabrina Franza got an up-close look today at that team in action.
READ MORE: Man Fires Shots Into Venue, Injuring 3 People Inside In Old Irving Park
It’s dangerous. It’s cold.
“Water temperature yesterday under our computers was 31 degrees.”
That doesn’t mean they’re not going in to try to get you out.
“We try and train for every situation, just to predict and protect our members as well as the public that we serve.”
The Chicago Fire Department’s Special Operations Scuba Team trains 365 days a year.
300 divers, 30 on-call every day in every season.
In this practice-above ice rescue — the team takes care to avoid shards of sharp ice that could slice open skin in a snap.
“If someone’s in the ice for a long period of time. hypothermia sets in. it makes it harder for them to move. for us, having to get in and move them without having any leverage… it could be a challenge sometimes.”
“This time of year, the ice is constantly moving, melting breaking. One minute you’re above ice the next you’re under it.”
READ MORE: 1 Person Dead Following Hit And Run On Dan Ryan
Their masks are specially made to communicate with members underwater in case someone falls in.
A member’s hand sticks outside the ice checking the permitter for signs of life.
“It’s all done by touch and feel.”
Under there, visibility can be like this, or like this.
“With the water movement were down to about six inches. So, you can barely see your hand in front of your face.”
Divers have 20 minutes on average because they need to re-surface. Victims in the freezing water even less.
“Usually someone becomes hypothermic within 3-5 minutes.”
At these temps, time isn’t on their side.
“It’s all about time. The faster we can get to em, the more likely they are to be saved.”
The team, on average, pulls 50 people from the water each year — at least four times just this winter.
MORE NEWS: British Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Tests Positive For COVID-19
They say what we saw today, it’s just a quick picture of what they see every day.