On Monday, December 14, 2020 our members trained with and refreshed on the use of the “Cold-Water Exposure Suits” we carry. These suits are designed to protect the wearer from cold water immersion.

Chestertown / Kent County is literally surrounded by bodies of water, including the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, tidewater creeks, and innumerable freshwater ponds… both natural and man-made. The chances of handling an emergency incident involving these bodies of water is always there. These suits allow personnel to enter the water, protecting them from the cold water and the associated hypothermia risk found this time of year. Where the water is deep, they provide a level of buoyancy not normally available to the human body.

The basin we’re using as a man-made temporary pool is a 4000-gallon portable drafting tank. Nominally, it’s used at rural fires where we resort to tanker shuttle operations.