Lifesaving Resources completed their 24th annual INTERNATIONAL ICE RESCUE INSTRUCTOR ACADEMY last week and graduated 24 First Responders as authorized Ice Rescue Instructors.  

The intensive 4-day boot-camp-style training program was conducted February 16 - 19 in Portland, Maine during which time the First Responders participated in over 13 hours of classroom sessions and 20 hours of on/through-the-ice practical sessions.  The graduates are now authorized Ice Rescue Instructors who will return to their own departments to conduct Ice Rescue training programs for members of their own, as well as surrounding, departments.  

Congratulations are in order to the following:  Adam Sheppard & Steven Kiesman (Biddeford, Maine Fire Department); Mark Olson (Moorehead, Minnesota Fire Department); Thomas Johnson (Ewing Township, New Jersey Fire Department); Jayme Johns (Capital City, Alaska Fire Rescue Department); Joel Burns & Brian Hensel (Clear SFS, Alaska Fire Department); Jamie Moulton (Hebron, New Hampshire Fire Department); Jacob Childers & Dave Ahrens (Farmington, New Mexico Fire Department); Ben Freedman (Ellsworth, Maine Fire Department); Joseph Haberny, Shane Enright, Adam Levesque & Brandon Brichetto (Standish, Maine Fire/EMS); Trevor Anderson (Hopkinton, New Hampshire Fire Department); Austin Hipkins & Matthew Walker (Quapaw Nation, Oklahoma Fire/EMS); Jeff Boggs & James Gambill (Franklin, Tennessee Fire Department); William Adams (Rockland, Maine Fire & EMS); Donovan Mihalick (Voorhees Township, New Jersey Fire Department); Logan Bennett (Hallowell, Maine Fire Department); and Andy Murphy (Atkinson, New Hampshire Fire Department).

The Academy was under the direction of Gerry Dworkin of Kennebunkport, Maine, and he was assisted by Bob Shields (Rhode Island), Jay Fedler (New York), Mike Flynn (New Hampshire), John Conway (Massachusetts), and Tony Cataldi (Maine).