Firefighters with the Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department conduct ice rescue training Jan. 11, 2023, at a frozen Big Sandy Lake on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis.

Several firefighters with the team took their turn getting in a suit, strapping an air tank and full-face mask, and diving into the depths of Big Sandy Lake under the ice on Fort McCoy’s South Post.

The divers were covering depths of up to 15 feet or more completing several types of rescue scenarios under the guidance of fellow firefighters. Divers took turns going in and out of the same hole that was cut in the ice. Each diver was tethered with a connecting line that included a communications connection.

This is an annual requirement for dive team members to maintain their abilities.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”

Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”