Photo courtesy of the Mackinac Island Fire Department A man trapped on floating ice on the Straits of Mackinac, Sunday, as seen by the USCG Cutter Mackinaw.

MACKINAC ISLAND — At 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, Jason St. Onge, Chief of the Mackinac Island Fire Department, was notified that a man was lost on the ice. Onge immediately sounded an alarm for Fire and EMS and notified the U.S. Coast Guard.

A cell phone ping was received from the man who was roughly a mile off the island’s western shore. The man had previously been advised by Deputy Chief Rickley to not go out on the ice. Conditions were worse than a whiteout. The man was told through a translator over the phone to stay put and that rescue was coming to him.

Fire department members Bartholomew Theron Berkshire, Colton Fisher, Adrian Skazalski, Chuck Pereny, Corey Kaminen along with St. Onge donned rescue gear and started out onto the ice. According to a press release, it was extremely slow going as drifting snow was waist deep and the ice jagged and difficult to climb over. Extreme coordination between shore based firefighters, Central Dispatch and County Emergency Manager Bryce Tracy were able to track firefighters as they disappeared into the whiteout.

The victim was advised to follow his GPS to start making his way toward the advancing firefighters. Unfortunately, soon after the man advised he was moving, he had run into open water and could not go any further. USCG was informed of this and at first said they could not reach the man nor would they put personnel on the ice. Almost instantly a call came back from USCG Cutter Mackinaw saying they could see the man and were going to attempt to get him.

Firefighters began the long arduous walk back towards shore and were notified that the USCG had rescued the man off the ice. It took fire department members almost 40 minutes to walk 2,000 feet due to conditions.

According to the release, earlier in the day another individual from off the Island asked if the ice was OK and was advised by the MIFD Chief that he would surely be lost if he attempted to cross in the current conditions.

“The ice is no joke, (the Straits are) not an inland lake or a mill pond,” St. Onge said a news release. “Conditions can, and do, change by the minute. Not one entity endorses the ice nor is anyone in charge of its safety or security. Each and every trip is ‘Cross at your own risk.’In this particular case it was crossed at the First Responders risk. Do us all a favor and stay off the ice.”

“Had the Cutter Mackinaw not been where it was, this man would have surely been lost,” continued St. Onge. “The ice he was on was getting smaller by the second. I am told today the USCG will be giving the 72 hour notice that the waters between the Island and St. Ignace will be cut up.”