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Friday, January 23, 2026

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A team of four Virden area firefighters rescued a person who could have frozen to death in the countryside.

It was just after 12:30am Monday when the RCMP detachment received a call from a male in distress who had been outside for a few hours at the time of his call.

The caller remained on the line with dispatch while police attended the location along with EMS and WDFD. He could hear people calling out for him but was unable to walk.

Fire Chief Cory Nixon related the details of this rescue that began very early on Monday- Jan. 19.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) called the Wallace District Fire Department (WDFD) for assistance to locate and rescue a person after they became lost on foot in a heavily wooded field, pocketed with sloughs near Road 66N along Road 152W.

Nixon explains, “On arrival, we organized with RCMP and EMS on locating the person. We had a general idea of the area through GPS of the person’s phone.”

However, to spot the individual it required a search light. RCMP launched a drone and within minutes of the launch they located the person, laying down in the extreme cold, in the snow.

Next would come the challenge of getting to the person and getting them back to the road.

Guided by the RCMP drone spotlight, four members from WDFD’s Station 1 waded through thick brush, chest deep snow, and cattails to the individual.

Nixon said, “We found the best path to them and proceeded in on foot. The snow in the sloughs was chest deep on average and once we got into the bush, we found ourselves crawling through the snow under brush at points.

It took our crew a total of 1 hour and 8 minutes to get into the bush, secure the patient and get the person back to EMS at the road.

“As it was through deep sloughs filled with snow and cattails, then into a heavy wooded area, we could not utilize rescue toboggans, skidoos or our tracked RTV.”

The crew of four slowly evacuated the patient on foot, on a tarp, through rough terrain from the field under the much-welcomed guidance of the RCMP's drone spot light.

“We placed the person on a rescue tarp and a specialty rescue canvas provided by EMS. The canvas held them in place and has handles for carrying and the tarp acts as a crazy carpet and wraps up to keep snow off the patient.

In the final stretch of the 0.4-mile trek, the exhausted crew transferred the patient to RCMP, EMS, and with help from Virden Towing they worked together to remove patient from the -28-degree life-threatening elements and into much needed warmth.

The RCMP report that the person was conscious and was transported to hospital.

Fire department training for ground search and rescue, and for winter survival helped this rescue to go right.

“It is amazing how multiple agencies can come together and quickly organize and activate a rescue plan,” said Nixon. “Each organization has their specialty and this rescue would not have been possible without each organization there.”

Debriefing sessions help the rescuers process their efforts and the pressures faced in such life and death situations.

“We hold an in-house debrief for all situations we attend where we talk about the incident, how everyone feels about it, and potential improvements for next time.”

Firefighters make a snowy rescue

By Anne Davison