Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Warner, a rescue swimmer at Air Station Kodiak, performs an ice rescue during training at Upper 6 Mile Lake on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 17, 2016. During the training, members from Air Station Kodiak, Sector Anchorage and the National Ice Rescue School in Essexville, Michigan, worked together to perform ice rescues from an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Meredith Manning

Coast Guard rescuers train on thin ice

While ice rescue training is not unfamiliar to Coast Guard members in cold climates like Alaska, incorporating air rescue added a new element for these crews. Members from Air Station Kodiak, Sector Anchorage and the National Ice Rescue School in Essexville, Michigan, teamed up to perform ice rescues from an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter at Upper 6 Mile Lake on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. For the participating members it was an experience that brought new elements into their normal training evolutions.