In an effort to equip the next generation of medical professionals with specialized emergency skills, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) medical students ventured onto the icy expanse of the St. Louis River for a hands-on lesson in ice rescue techniques. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad, led by Carter, callsign 7268, spent a wintry Saturday morning guiding these individuals through the frigid waters and a curriculum of survival. St. Louis County Rescue Squad reported the training included a brief but critical classroom session focused on recognizing and addressing hypothermia.

Participants, who hail from UMD's Wilderness Medicine Interest Group (WMIG) and Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG), were clad in Mustang suits — attire designed to insulate the body against the bone-chilling temperatures, they plunged into a real-world simulation of what it feels like to break through thin ice and the immediate actions required thereafter to ensure survival as well as the rescue of others. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad celebrated the day's achievements, describing the training as "a very good day!" in their social media post accompanied with a vivid photo captured by Lauryn Renier documenting the event's vigorous activities.

The immersive experience did not shy away from the stark realities of ice-related emergencies; the first and second-year medical students confronted the challenge head-on, learning how to safely extract themselves and their peers from the grasp of the cold river's waters. This invaluable training aims to supplement their academic knowledge with the practical skills necessary to respond confidently to emergency situations that may await them in their future medical careers, in the wild, where the classroom is no longer a mere spectator to the unpredictable narrative of the natural world.

These ambitious trainees have now taken a plunge into the depths of crisis management, knowing full well that their actions could one day mean the difference between life and death, the cold duality of winter's brush with human fragility, demanding more than theoretical understanding, demanding a throat-grasping grasp of urgency and calm simultaneously. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad's commitment to ensuring these students returned to shore with not just knowledge but with a muscle memory, of hope dragged from the edge of frozen despair.