The Suamico Fire Department demonstrates how it uses its new ice rescue sled on December 4, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Sportsmen clubs in the area are coming together to make sure emergency crews have the best equipment in case anyone goes through the ice.
Suamico Fire Chief Joe Bertler says a new ice rescue sled might have made the difference in a death last year.
“When seconds matter when someone is in the water, we want to be able to get there quickly,” said Bertler.
It’s a piece of equipment the Suamico Fire Department hopes it never has to use, but its new ice rescue sled is going to save valuable time when responding to someone in the water.
“These guys go out and risk their lives every day and rescue people,” said Jim Pyle, president of the Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sports Fishermen. “To help them stay safe, I think it’s very important.”
The Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sports Fishermen, along with other outdoor recreation clubs, purchased an ice rescue sled for Green Bay Metro Fire and now for Suamico’s fire department.
“Our next option we want to do is to raise one more to put over on the east side, because there’s a lot of rescues that happened last year, so we have three of them covering the entire lower Bay,” said Pyle.
Having a sled in Suamico a few months earlier might have made a difference for an 87-year-old fisherman who lost his life.
“We literally heard that gentleman crying for help, but it took time to get out there,” said Bertler.
On that December night one year ago, an inflatable sled was the fire department’s only option. We timed how long it took to prepare, and it was more than two minutes versus the new sled — which is ready instantly.
“We weren’t able to find him right away because it was dark out, but it would have probably made a difference, potentially,” said Bertler.
People are already going out on the ice. We say it every year: No ice is 100% safe, so it’s important to be prepared if you’re heading out.
“We recommend taking a personal flotation device or float coat out, so if you do go through, added flotation as well to slow body heat loss,” said DNR Conservation Warden Carson Veath.
“The biggest thing I want to stress to anyone is call 911 right away,” said Bertler. “The faster we get there, the faster we can respond.”
The new sled will make that response even quicker. The sleds cost about $6,000 a piece, according to Pyle.
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