PWFD saves woman who walked into frigid lake

By KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM

‘Ozaukee Press staff

A 73-year-old woman from Stoughton was rescued from the chilly waters of Lake Michigan last week by the Port Washington Fire Department after she refused to get out of waist-deep water about 50 feet from shore.

The woman, who was fully dressed but did not have a life jacket, walked into the water off South Beach and would not return to shore despite repeated requests from her significant other, Fire Chief Joe DeBoer said.

The water was about 35.5 degrees, according to Predict Wind, with waves approaching one foot at the time.

The woman’s companion called 911 at about noon on Thursday, March 27, after he tried to get her to return to the beach for about 45 minutes, DeBoer said.

Police arrived at the scene shortly before the Fire Department and unsuccessfully tried to get her to come to shore as well, he said.

“We weren’t sure what condition she would be in,” DeBoer said.

The Fire Department coordinated with police and initiated two rescue operations, he said, one from the marina and the other from the beach.

At the marina, a diver and rescue swimmer took the department’s inflatable boat and headed to the woman, DeBoer said, while two rescue swimmers headed out from South Beach.

The swimming duo reached the woman first and placed a flotation collar, which DeBoer said is like a pool noodle that can be strapped around someone, on her. She did not resist, he added.

They quickly brought the woman back to shore, where an ambulance was waiting, DeBoer said;.

“She wasn’t really communicative,” he said. “She was not responding appropriately.”

The woman was exhibiting classic signs of hypothermia, DeBoer said, including confusion, an inability to move her extremities and shivering. She was taken to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, he said, adding, “She was at least in serious condition when we transported her.”

“We don’t really know why she was out there, and he (her significant other) was as befuddled as we were,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer said a drone equipped with a flotation device that could be dropped into the water was operated by the Saukville Police Department during the rescue to provide aerial reconnaissance.

The Ozaukee County Emergency Management Department helped with the rescue.

That was just the beginning of a busy day for the Fire Department.

DeBoer said firefighters were called out again about 7 p.m. after a vehicle struck a power pole in the 100 block of West Walters Street, cutting electricity to houses in the area.

About a half-hour later, they were then called to Harbor Campus senior living facility on West Walters Street, where there was no power and a fire alarm was going off.

Firefighters discovered light smoke on the first and second floors and smelled the strong odor of smoke, DeBoer said.

Residents on the first and second floors were evacuated and residents on the other three floors were told to shelter in place while firefighters tracked down the source of the smoke, which was coming from the ductwork, he said.

Firefighters using a thermal imaging camera discovered the problem was an overheated hot water supply pump in the boiler room, which is near the former ambulance bay. They emptied an extinguisher on the pump, cut the power and ventilated the building.

They also searched the upper floors of the building to make sure there weren’t any other issues, DeBoer said.

Firefighters, who were assisted by the Ozaukee Central Fire Department, helped staff members get residents back to their rooms, and they also responded to two falls at the facility, he said, adding the Belgium and Jackson fire departments responded to the fire station to cover any other calls.

“It was a complicated process given the age and size of the building,” DeBoer said. “We had all the extra resources there that we needed. We didn’t miss a beat.”