NEW ROCHELLE, NY (February 18, 2026) — Squad 2 of the New Rochelle Fire Department took to the ice today on the lakes in front of New Rochelle High School as part of ice rescue training amid a cold winter that has seen numerous ice rescues across the greater New York area.
Other squads are scheduled to train throughout the week.
The training focused on surface ice rescue operations, including low-profile approach techniques to distribute weight, the use of ice rescue sleds and flotation devices, and victim reach-and-retrieve methods.
Firefighters also practiced rope and tether system deployment, coordinated shore-based team operations and controlled rescuer entry onto unstable ice.
Cold water response protocols were part of the exercise, including rapid extrication procedures, hypothermia awareness and the safe transfer of patients to EMS. Personnel operated in specialized cold-water protective gear, including dry suits and flotation equipment.
Although the lakes are relatively shallow, the primary risk during winter incidents is ice failure and cold-water exposure rather than submersion depth. Sudden immersion in near-freezing water can result in cold shock response, loss of motor control, slips or inability to self-extricate and rapid onset hypothermia.
Training in a controlled environment allows for realistic scenario development while minimizing training risk.
The department indicated it remains ready for ice response 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with proper training and equipment in place to respond to winter emergencies.
The lakes, commonly known as Twin Lakes, trace their origins to a single, larger man-made lake constructed in 1885 by damming a tributary of Pine Brook. The water body, historically referred to as Mahlstedt’s Ice Pond or Huguenot Lake, was created for commercial ice harvesting and related uses.
The lake was owned and operated by the Mahlstedt family, who harvested ice blocks during the winter months and supplied them commercially. Before widespread mechanical refrigeration, natural ice was used to cool food and goods locally and in nearby markets.
When refrigeration technology made natural ice harvesting uneconomical, the Mahlstedt family sold the lake and adjacent lands to the city in 1922. The city acquired the parkland, including the lake area, in 1923 to site a new high school and public park.
The original single lake was later divided into two bodies of water after a causeway was constructed between the high school campus and North Avenue, creating what are now known as the Twin Lakes.
Today, the lakes remain a defining feature of the historic campus landscape — and, on winter days like Tuesday, a training ground for ice rescue operations.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.