BARGERSVILLE, Ind. - Each winter, fire departments across the state respond to ice rescues. Although it is not very common, firefighters are always prepared for when accidents happen. 2 rescued after vehicle slides into icy water “You could look at the ice, 'Oh that's great to walk on,’ but then you fall right through,” said Patrick Rosemark, a firefighter with the Bargersville Fire Department. When temperatures fall below freezing rivers, lakes and ponds can freeze over. But as soon as the sun warms things up, the ice will break. “Most of the people out here are amateurs when they are looking at ice,” said Michael Pruitt, the deputy chief with the Bargersville Fire Department. “‘Man, that is solid and I think I can go out on that and maybe even try to ice fish.’ Unfortunately, it can have tragic consequences if that happens.” Thankfully, it's an emergency that firefighters will respond to just a couple of times a year. “Generally, when we look at the region where we work in, there are always 2-3 cases every winter season in the Indianapolis metro area that departments have to deal with,” Pruitt said. But when it does happen, firefighters need to be ready to go. “In Indiana, the temperature fluctuates up and down,” Pruitt said. “When it fluctuates up and down, you get that thawing, freezing, thawing, freezing, and that's what makes it very, very dangerous. We can never guarantee its solid ice.” The Bargersville Fire Department hosts ice rescue training sessions each year for the firefighters to help them prepare to respond quickly when something like this does happen. “An ice rescue isn’t something we do very often, so having these opportunities to train and do it really helps us and helps me calm my nerves when an ice rescue would [happen],” Rosemark said. “The first time I went out there and did it I was a little rusty. I had to remember some things but the third or fourth time going out and doing it I feel a lot better about it.” Here’s how it works. Firefighters will suit up, typically in the truck on the way to the emergency. These suits keep them warm and dry as they make their way into the water. One firefighter goes into the water and is tied to a rope. They are held by a team of people as the rescue begins. “I am going to look at the scene,” Rosemark said. “Are there any obstacles in the water? Where's the victim at? And then going out in the water, having your team hooked up to ropes and everything in case something happens to you.”  From there, they have to remind the person in the water to stay calm as they put a flotation device on them and pull them to safety. The process has to be done quickly because of the risk of hypothermia. The most important thing you can do is to stay calm. “[We] try to explain everything to them," Rosemark said. "Telling them, ‘Hey this is what I'm going to do next’ and then getting them out as quickly as you can.” Another thing to remember is if there is ever another person in the water, do not try to go after them. Instead, call 911 and let the professionals handle it. Two rescued after car is found in pond on Indy’s west side “We know the first nature people have with pets or other humans that have gotten themselves in trouble is to go out after them and essentially you become a second victim when that happens,” Pruitt said. So when temperatures warm back up, firefighters want to remind you not to take that extra risk by going out on the ice. “My best advice is to just stay off the ice,” Rosemark said.