Members of the Bootjack Fire and Rescue Department underwent training Sunday on the departments new rescue iceboat at the Lake Linden marina. (Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette)

LAKE LINDEN — Bootjack Fire and Rescue Foundation conducted a training session on its rescue ice boat on at the Lake Linden marina on Sunday, launching it at the Lake Linden marina. The boat recently became operational.

Foundation Chief, Dan Sarazin said the purpose of the training is for the members to become more familiar with the vessel and its capabilities.

“We’re training, because we’ve got members who have not been able to operate it yet,” Sarazin said, “so we want to get those members in rotation to be able to get accustomed to it.”

The boat, essentially an airboat, is designed specifically for rescues on frozen lakes. The pram-type vessel is equipped with ice shields around the hull to protect it in the event it penetrates the ice.

“The ice can be very harsh,” said Sarazin. “If you cut through it, it’s a like a razor.” The vessel handles differently in different conditions.

“It’s an entirely different thing when you have snow on the lake versus when it’s just ice,” Sarazin said. “When it’s just ice, the machine will go very fast, but stopping it is always a challenge — being able to approach a victim, because you’ve got a big machine and it’s heavy. You have to approach them the right way.”

During the training, Sarazin cautioned the rescue members that they can expect at least one of the two-person crew to have to enter the water during a rescue.

He said the foundation purchased the boat in February, 2024, from a source downstate, then brought it back to the area.

The foundation has invested about $80,000 into the vessel so far, converting it to an ice rescue boat. Sarazin said the project was funded by the Foundation.

“We he had to do a lot of work on it,” said Sarazin. “It’s not a regular airboat, it had to be specially made for ice. It has a protective cab on it. We can get a victim inside and treated. It was a big step for us to do this, but it’s something we had to do for the area.”

The cab, he said, is heated and is equipped with modern electronics and communication. Sarazin said the rescue vessel has been a major expense for the Foundation, but it was viewed as essential to the area.

“There isn’t anything like it (in the region). You get some of these areas like the cuts between Torch Lake and Portage Lake: You’ve got a mile to go to get access to where they’re going to be in trouble. It’s the same thing really at the South Portage Entry. We have two of those dangerous areas in our jurisdiction.”

Sarazin said that at the present time, foundation is the only organization in the area with one that is operational. Chassell has one, he said, but it will next year before it will be operational.

While the boat can be used for summer rescue, he said, it’s inefficient for that, because that isn’t what it was designed for.

“We can use it for summer rescue, but it’s heavy. It’s not as quick in the water. I can go in a two or a four-foot sea, but being a pram-type vessel, it’s not the ideal thing for water rescue.”