All in a day's work: Training prepares Army firefighters to save lives

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- Tobyhanna Army Depot firefighters broke through ice 11 inches thick to conduct their annual ice rescue training on Barney's Lake here. As part of the training, each firefighter demonstrates how to pull themselves from the water using only a small ice pick. Playing the role of victim or rescuer, the firefighters also perform rescues using a rescue platform, rescue sled or just a rope to remove the victim. Tobyhanna Army Depot has its own Dive Team/Water Rescue Team and assists local fire departments in fire fighting and search and rescue. Photo 1: Jim Nicosia, Keith DiPatri and David Fairclough cut a hole in the ice. Photo 2: Brian Sompel performs a self rescue. Photo 3: Dave Long helps Eric Reddinger onto the rescue platform. Photo 4: Palmer Johnson, Steve Chervenitski, DiPatri, pull the rescue platform toward shore. Photo 5: DiPatri tells firefighters how to use a rescue platform. Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems across the Department of Defense. About 3,500 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.