Another animal ice rescue: Firefighters in Hingham, MA go after dog. One firefighter goes to the hospital.
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A Hingham Fire Department firefighter had to be treated for exhaustion this morning after rescuing a dog from Hingham Harbor. Here are excerpts from an article by The Boston Globe’s Martin Finucane:
Firefighters were called to World’s End, a park on the harbor shortly after 9 a.m., said Fire Lieutenant Victor Bernan. They found a black Labrador that had gone 300 feet out before falling through.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fni6jmiSo8A&hl=en&fs=1]
Raw video from the rescue operation.
Firefighters donned cold water rescue suits and had to battle their way through ice and slush to reach the dog. Two firefighters went all the way out, while a third assisted them nearer shore, said Fire Captain Joseph Mortland.
James Sheard, a firefighter-paramedic, grabbed the dog and brought it most of the way to shore, which left Sheard exhausted, Mortland said. Sheard was treated and released from a hospital and was fine by this afternoon, officials said.
“The dog owner should know better — not to let the dog go. We are risking ourselves to save a dog, which we will do, but we wish we didn’t have to,” Bernan said.
“We’re always very cautious when we have to put a firefighter out in the open water in the Atlantic Ocean. He’s at risk. If it’s a situation where the dog should have been on a leash, we’d just appreciate them having a little consideration for us as well,” said Fire Chief Mark Duff.
