Kootenai County Fire and Rescue ice rescue training was put to the test Monday when a fawn was trapped in the frozen water of Fernan Lake. 

“It (the ice) was a little bit thin, the deer’s hind end had fallen through, and its front legs couldn't get out again,"  said Battalion Chief Kaipo Kuehu. "Every time it walked, it probably fell in a little bit more.” 

It was a quiet day for the department, so Capt. Bryon Smith, Capt. Chad Whaley, Engineer Warren Williams, Engineer Brad Foster, Firefighter Kyan Zimmerman, Engineer Mike Cohee, and Firefighter Adam Arvidson deployed to locate the animal, along with Idaho Fish and Game representative Doug Meyer. 

“It's a time of the year when we generally like to get on the ice a couple of times and get some good training in," Kuehu said. “It just so happened that this was the week we were doing training, so the guys were all ready with the equipment.” 

Kuehu said the rescue served as a practical application of ice-rescue training. 

“We've found the best thing we can do is be able to save a helpless animal and allow it to be able to save its life and at the same time, we can get our resources out there. They deployed the exact same resources they would if it was a human stuck on the ice,” Kuehu said.  

Because of the high visibility of Fernan Lake, Kuehu said the odds increase that a civilian attempting a rescue will need assistance themselves. 

The deer was about 400 feet offshore when members of KCFR’s green shift arrived.  

“By that time, it was super cold and a little bit lethargic and they were able to get it up out of the ice and get it onto the shore,” Kuehu said.  

Using a rope harness and an inflatable raft, the firefighters secured the deer and brought it back to shore, where it was released.      

The fawn's size made the situation more manageable for the team.

“If it was a full-grown moose or full-grown deer, that would have been a little bit more of a difficult situation,” Kuehu said.   

He stressed that callers reporting trapped animals use the non-emergency line at 208-777-8500. 

“We've found that a lot of would-be rescuers go out to rescue dogs or wild animals and they then themselves end up becoming victims,” Kuehu said.

    Kootenai County Fire and Rescue firefighters Bryon Smith, Chad Whaley, Warren Williams, Brad Foster, Kyan Zimmerman, Mike Cohee and Adam Arvidson assisted in the rescue of a fawn from Fernan Lake. The deer had become trapped in the ice. Fish and Game representative Doug Meyer also helped with the rescue.
  

    Kootenai County Fire and Rescue saved a fawn trapped on Fernan Lake on Monday. Bryon Smith, Chad Whaley, Warren Williams, Brad Foster, Kyan Zimmerman, Mike Cohee, Adam Arvidson and Idaho Fish and Game representative Doug Meyer assisted with the rescue.