Before venturing onto the ice, what must be planned and in place?

• A. Rapid Intervention Crews (RIC)
• B. Cold weather response plan
• C. Emergency medical protocol
• D. Public safety incident plan

Answer: (A)

Having a Rapid Intervention Crew in place is essential before venturing onto the ice. The ice environment is extremely risky, and when a team member falls through or a rescue attempt goes wrong, seconds count. A Rapid Intervention Crew is a pre-planned, trained group of rescuers ready to enter the water immediately to extract someone and stabilize the situation. This on-site readiness provides the fastest, most reliable path to a rescue and helps protect the entire operation by offering an immediate backup if the primary team encounters trouble. While a cold weather response plan, an emergency medical protocol, and a public safety incident plan are important parts of overall operations, they don’t provide the immediate on-ice rescue capability that a dedicated RIC delivers right when you step onto the ice.