Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
STURGEON BAY, Wis. — A Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay response crew worked alongside partner agencies to rescue seven people stranded on the ice approximately one mile northeast of Snake Island near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Tuesday.
The partner agencies working with the Coast Guard were Door County Dispatch, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Brussels-Union-Garner Fire Department.
The seven individuals were staged in an ice shanty, but were unable to make it back to shore due to difficulties with their utility task vehicle and inclement weather. The weather on scene was reported as 4 below zero with a wind chill factor of minus 30 degrees and large snow drifts.
Coast Guard Station Sturgeon Bay and Wisconsin DNR crews arrived on scene with airboats, loaded the seven people in the two boats and transported them to shore with no apparent injuries or medical concerns.
The Coast Guard advises the public against going out on ice for personal safety and safety of response crews. Risks include hypothermia, frostbite, and death. Symptoms leading up to hypothermia set in by reducing motor and brain function, thereby limiting the ability to call for help.
