Ice Field Safety (IFS)
The Ice Field Safety (IFS) course is comprehensive training for those who work or travel on ice over lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, or rivers that are completely frozen over.
The curriculum includes the formation of ice and the factors that influence its decay, how to determine ice thickness, the identification of hazards, travelling on ice, self rescue and a range of options for the rescue of others – including single rescuer techniques for field personnel that work in pairs. The curriculum also includes the medical complications posed by cold water immersion and hypothermia, and the significant implications for rescue and transport.
Contact hours
12 hours (2 days)
Prerequisites:
- Must be a confident swimmer
- Minimum age: 18
Course content includes
- Rescue 3 philosophy
- Training standards
- Rescue 3 best practice guidelines
- Risk management and rescuer safety
- Ice properties, formations and types
- Ice hazards
- Basic swiftwater hydrology
- Personal protective equipment
- Technical and team equipment
- Management and pre-planning
- Incident size-up
- ICS and site control
- Communications
- Medical considerations
- Knots, bends and hitches
- Anchor systems
- Tensioning systems and mechanical advantage
- Ice testing procedures
- Walking on ice
- Self-rescue techniques
- Conditional rescues
- True rescues (contact rescues)
- Co-worker rescue (one person rescue techniques)
- Rope assisted self-rescue/belay techniques
- Scenarios
- Rescue craft (if used by agency)
- Equipment recovery strategies (if used by agency)
Course standard, learning outcomes and key teaching points
Rescue 3 Europe course standards, learning outcomes and key teaching points
The course standards, learning outcomes and key teaching points are provided as pre- and post-course reference for people involved in the delivery of Rescue 3 courses (eg Rescue 3 training providers, instructors and students). They are not to be used for any other purpose without the express written permission of Rescue 3 Europe.
Qualification valid for
3 years
Taught by:
Recertification options
Instructor to student ratios
Student resources
The Ice Rescue Field Guide is available to buy.
Instructor resources
Instructor resources for Rescue 3 courses can be accessed here.
