DEER ISLE
Nelson credits responders with “saving a life”—her life

by Faith DeAmbrose
Jack the dog ended up in Long Cove on January 16 and his owner, Linda Nelson, did the first thing that came to mind: she attempted to rescue him, despite the risk she knew she faced.

A quick Internet search using the keywords “dog, ice, and rescue” show that like many dog owners across the country, Nelson’s story is not unique. Story after story recounts the attempts of owners to save their beloved furry companions, but not all have the happy ending that Nelson’s did.

For Nelson, the story, she says, is not about her, but about the heroic nature of her rescue. The ordeal, she said, “was only scary in retrospect,” and having spent close to 25 minutes in the icy cold waters of Long Cove behind her home, she credits the crews of the Deer Isle Fire Department and Memorial Ambulance for “saving a life.” She estimates Jack spent closer to 45 minutes in the water.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the water temperature of Maine’s oceans currently stands at about 38 degrees; the air temperature on the morning of January 16 was approximately 30 degrees.

Nelson said she heard Jack crying for help, prompting her to run to the shore, assess the situation and then run back to get her partner, Judith Jerome, to call for help. While waiting for help to arrive, Nelson got a kayak and a paddle to use as an aid in the rescue and slowly made her way to Jack, falling through the salt water ice just before she was able to safely retrieve him. The water in the cove where Nelson entered was not above her head.

She credits her 200-yard sprint, and the intensity of the adrenaline rushing through her body, for possibly helping to raise her body temperature enough to withstand the frigid water. Also an avid swimmer with training in water-related dangers, Nelson said that she felt confident in her ability to handle the situation, at least long enough for help to arrive.

Deer Isle fire chief Brent Morey, whose department took the lead role in the rescue, said that cold-water rescue is a mandatory part of the department’s training schedule and that they normally perform two or three sessions each year. The department has three certified instructors in cold water rescue, but, until January 16, had never had the opportunity to use the rescue techniques in a real life-or-death situation.

“There is no question.” said Morey, “that it feels good to know that your work has saved someone’s life. We are all in this business to help people; it is certainly not for the money.” Approximately 15 department members were at Long Cove to assist in the rescue effort.

Like other area departments, the Deer Isle Fire Department is equipped with cold-water survival suits, inflatable boats and other equipment to use in such rescues. They are also equipped with oxygen masks to fit animals and, according to Morey, the department would do all it could, within reason, to rescue a pet.

From the shoreline, said Memorial Ambulance Corps volunteer Wilda Eaton, six members of the ambulance company assisted members of the fire department. “It was bone chilling for people on the shore to hear her voice from out on the water,” said Eaton. “She is one very lucky person.”

Eaton said that MAC had, just that same week, completed some routine training in caring for patients with hypothermia, but that in the 26 years of her work with the organization, it was the first time that the annual training was used in a real-life situation.

Nelson was transported by ambulance to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, where she was kept overnight and released the following day. Jack, although cold and wet, did not require medical attention. According to Nelson, however, Jack is keeping pretty close to both her and Jerome and is not venturing close to the ice.

According to other fire department chiefs in the area, many of whom conducted cold-water rescue trainings within the last few weeks, they have yet to actually use the training in the way that the Deer Isle department did on January 16.

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