Look what I pulled through the ice this weekend

[Desperado]

FRIDAY  NOV 21    practicing with a local Fire Department

going in to get him (vehicle is moving forward into a hole in the ice)



getting the victim (Vehicle floating )


pulling him out (vehicle in reverse going out of the water, back up onto the ice and dragging victim back to good ice)

[Fawkinnae]

Desperado! That is pretty damn impressive.

I think all these municipalities need to buy a couple of these from you. And even better the firemen will have to spend their weekends icefishing so they will be ready to spring into action. It's a win-win.

How much ice by the way?

[Desperado]

On that spot it was two-and-three-quarter inches.

[LLtaxidermy]

Looks a heck of a lot easier than the old human chain trick!!

[jigglestick]

now that is the most practical use for that thing I have seen!
how thin of ice have you used it on. I'm thinking with paddle style tires and studs you could go out on as little as one half inch?
maybe build in some sort of water propulsion system in the back forward and reversable.
looks a lot simpler than the ice angel cohassett fire dept has.
that thing has saved many lives. glad they have it around.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Did you video tape this training?  I think that it would be great to send a video clip of this training exercise to all rescue groups around the upper midwest.  This is a must have rig for the ice rescue groups.  The pictures are quite impressive!  Thanks for sharing them.
 

[Desperado]

Yes we have video and we are getting it ready for release. 
Keep watch of the Wilcraft website.

[Desperado]

the video is now on the web
I really like at 8 and 9 seconds into the video, you can hear the ice echo as we drive out to the hole.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQWwanziXYc&eurl=http://www.thewilcraft.com/videos.php[/youtube]

[stevejedlenski]

got a question, that was a hole cut in the ice correct? how does that work in a real life situation where the ice is too thin to hold up the wildcraft before you get to the victum? can it get to them and then get back on to the ice?

[stevejedlenski]

would a fan boat work better and be cheaper?

[Desperado]

got a question, that was a hole cut in the ice correct?
how does that work in a real life situation where the ice is too thin to hold up the wildcraft before you get to the victum; can it get to them and then get back on to the ice?

Yes and Yes.

[Desperado]

would a fan boat work better and be cheaper?

It would probably get out and back about as well, although the fan boat will actually break through the ice way before a Wilcraft will.

I have no idea what the inital purchase price of a fan boat would be, but I know they are much more expensive to operate and maintain.

[thrasher]

A few depts have gone with small hover crafts. Robbinsdale has had them for years. They work really well. Ice Rescue sleds are good as well. But you need to be tethered to the shore and you only have so much rope.