January 3, 2013
01/04/13 Plymouth Firefighter John Pasley participated in his first water rescue on Wednesday. He didn’t save a human being, but did save the life of a 2½ year old buck. Firefighters at the Plymouth Fire Station got word that a deer had fallen through the thin ice on Myers Lake behind AJ’s Bate Shop. Full-time fireman John Pasley is an avid hunter and wanted to try and rescue the animal.
After seeking permission from Chief Miller, Pasley and volunteer fireman Ben Poulson headed to the scene with Paramedics Diana Cleveland and Eric Cox. Emergency workers learn that the deer had been in the water for nearly an hour. Borrowing a small canoe Pasley secured a line and began to paddle out to the animal. Lassoing it he was able to drag the 160 to 170 pound deer out of the frigid water. Once on the ice, the exhausted animal just laid there. John was able to walk up to the deer and using his antlers pulled the animal further from the hole in the ice.
Helping the animal to its feet Pasley and Cox stood behind the deer to keep it from going back onto the lake as it began to run.
Firefighter Pasley said the deer didn’t really put up any fight. It was estimated that animal was in water 5 to 6 feet deep and had been treading water for some time. He said his antlers, ears and eyes were covered in ice.
Firefighter Pasley warns citizens that ice is not think enough to support people yet. He said there needs to be four or five more days of this extremely cold weather before people should venture out to go ice fishing.