SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ) – Clark Delzer, a conservation warden for the DNR, is all smiles after a Saturday night rescue on Shawano Lake resulted in two snowmobilers getting saved from the frigid water.
He says ice shoves in the middle of the lake were the culprit.
The two individuals, a 52-year-old from Illinois and a 39-year-old man from Appleton were saved as Delzer worked with first responders on-scene to locate them and pull them out of the water.
He says it was fortunate that he had all the equipment necessary for this life-saving work on-hand.
“Luckily I had my throw rope, my life jacket, and my ice spikes ready to go in the truck for a situation like this,” he says.
Delzer was navigated on the ice by another snowmobiler that didn’t fall through.
He adds that experience played a big role in their effort.
“I’m familiar with the lake and where the bad ice is and was luckily able to locate them in the fog and the darkness,” he explains.
The first man was located about a mile offshore.
“That’s when I found out about the second snowmobiler that went through in the same spot maybe twenty yards north of there,” says Delzer.
The ice on Shawano Lake is around 12 inches thick, but in some areas, it’s thinner than that.
“The Shawano lake has historically not had huge shoves like this and so the problem with those shoves is there can be openings in the ice and that’s what these individuals actually drove into,” he says.
Delzer can smile now that everyone is safe, but at the time the clock was ticking.
“Looking at dispatch notes, that man was in the water for about twenty minutes and, I mean, hypothermia sets in long before then,” says Delzer.
He’s happy to report that after meeting with one of the men he’s in good spirits, despite having some frostbite from the scary situation.
He adds that this wasn’t a solo rescue effort and that vital collaboration with first responders on scene made the outcome possible.
