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NOWTHEN, Minn. — A day of ice fishing turned into an ice rescue for two men and their dog in Minnesota.
The dramatic rescue was caught on the officer's body camera on Dec. 3 as he was making a brave save on some thin ice.
Anoka County deputy Chris Fjeld tied a rope around his waist and slowly made his way out to a pair of people who had fallen into the dangerously cold water.
Gerry Olson saw two men venture on to the lake behind his house to ice fish.
"I couldn't believe it," Olson said. "I thought, 'Ah oh, this isn't good.'"
It wasn't long before he could hear screams, as both men went through the ice.
Fjeld was the first on scene. He already saw signs of hypothermia.
"They were starting to lose their ability to process rational thought," Fjeld said. "I was concerned that they might not fare very well if I didn't go out immediately."
Fjeld acted fast. He crawled on his belly with a rope tied around him. His partner, deputy Curt Grabmeier, was concerned but not surprised.
The two deputies recognized it was not a good idea, but one deputy went out onto the thin ice without hesitation.
"It's just Chris' character," Grabmeier said.
Fjeld reached both men in the frigid water.
"On thin ice, it's important to disperse your weight over the greatest amount of surface area you can," Fjeld said.
One by one, he brought the two men back to shore. And their dog made it back, too.
"Just did my job, helping people out," he said.
Fjeld is grateful both men are safe, but he wants to remind people to exercise good judgment before getting on the ice.
"I always encourage people that ice is never 100% safe, and if you're going to go out take proper safety precautions," he said.
Ice is especially dangerous with highs in the 50s.
"By walking onto the ice when it is still too thin, you are putting yourself at significant risk of falling through and experiencing hypothermia or death," the sheriff's office said.
For information on how thick the ice needs to be before walking or driving on it, check the ice guide provided by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation and the guide for conditions at Utah's parks.
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