SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — Tyndall Volunteer Fire Department members saved a dog from Icy cold waters from a local pond.
According to the Tyndall Fire Department, three dogs had fallen through the ice at the Tyndall Pond around noon. Two dogs were able to reach safety, but one dog remained in the water. The owner then called the fire department, which responded.
Kaitlyn Petersen, a Volunteer Firefighter for the Tyndall Fire Department, said she was sitting down for lunch when she got the call.
“When I showed up, I’m relatively the smallest and lightest one in our fire department so it just made kind of the best sense for me to go in there and I love animals so I didn’t even think twice about it,” Petersen said. “It’s one of those things where you love what you do, you just go in, you don’t think about it, you get done what needs to get done.
Petersen said they had about 2 minutes to come up with a game plan to save the dog.
“We made sure we had the manpower there if something were to go wrong. They roped me up so they could pull me back if I needed to be pulled back in and once I get out make sure they have a blanket to wrap you up, and wrap the dog up, get you back into shelter.”
Petersen said they attached a rope to her to pull her back.
“I kind of Army crawled across and by the time I got to the dog I mean he was really cold, he was getting tired, but I went under to put my arms under him and kind of grab him out,” Petersen said. “The ice started to crack and get a lot more weak, but I kind of hog-wrestled him to secure him because he was scared, but it’s kind of just one of those things where you don’t even think about it. It’s just something I love to do.”
Petersen said firefighting is her way of helping out the community.
“I grew up in a small town, Tabor, and my dad was a firefighter for quite a few years and it was something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve loved helping people. I’ve always liked to look at new challenges and dive in,” Petersen said.
She added being a firefighter has allowed her to make a big impact on her community.
“Around 5 years ago I wanted to join the fire department, but I went for it and it was definitely difficult because when you first get on you feel kind of uncomfortable and you’re in your probation stage and I was only one of two girls on there,” Petersen said. “It’s really cool because the kids are like ‘oh it’s a lady firefighter and that’s so cool’ and you just get to make a big impact.”
Petersen said it is important for people to call in cases like this.
“It’s never a waste of time, it’s always better to just call us and us be there than us be there when you need it. The worst that could happen is we turn back and go back to the shed. We do what we do because we love it,” Petersen said. “It’s one of those things where if it’s something you wanna do, you put your mind to it and just go for it.”
