MILTON, Wis. — Milton firefighters rescued an 8-year-child stuck on thin, cracking ice in a retention pond on Monday, with help from several other area departments including Edgerton and Janesville’s fire departments.
Dispatchers warned first responders that the child was autistic and may become agitated by both sirens and any rescuers coming to his aid, a Facebook post from the Milton Fire Department said.
The child was stuck about fifty feet out on the ice; rescuers had to put on cold water rescue suits and enter the water, as the ice was only about an inch thick in places and would crack under their weight.
People who were familiar with the pond warned firefighters that the pond was about four feet deep below where the child was trapped, but was as deep as twelve feet in other places.
When firefighters started moving toward the child, he at first tried to move away from then further out on the ice. They were eventually able to convince him to approach them, where a firefighter was able to grab him and take him to shore safely.
No one was hurt in the incident, and the child was returned safely to his mother.
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