Update on Water Rescue in Alexandria Lake: The Rest of the Story

Katie Broering’s dog Bea earlier on the day she was rescued from the lake.

by Robin Gee

Two men, Isaiah Maines and Andrew Vorhees, who work
for Jolly Plumbing in Wilder, were on their way back from a job last
week when they saw a woman who appeared to have fallen through the ice
at a small lake in the neighborhood along Joann Lane in Alexandria.

“We were driving by after a job and noticed this girl in the lake,”
Maines said. “At first, we grabbed some hose we had, but we saw that
another guy, I’m guessing one of the homeowners, had a rope and a life
preserver. The three of us were able to pull her in.”

Meet Ethan and the team. FWHWealthConsultingGroup.com

Katie Broering, a junior from Bishop Brossart High
School who lives near the lake, had been taking a nap when she heard her
older brother yelling for her dog, Bea. She said she knew right away
what had happened as Bea, a Bermadoodle full of puppy energy, had been
running onto the lake all winter, and she had been worried.

“I
looked out my window and saw her in a hole in the lake,” she said. “I was just
wearing shorts and a tshirt but I grabbed my shoes and ran outside.” 

She said her brother had tried to go out to rescue Bea,
but the ice wouldn’t hold him. People who had gathered at the lake told
her the Fire Department had been called, but she said she just didn’t
know how long Bea had been out there. Her brother and uncle were driving
by when they saw Bea had gotten out and had fallen into the lake. She
said she knew the ice was thin but took a calculated risk to save her
dog.

Broering said she crawled slowly out onto the ice toward
Bea. 

“I knew when I went out there that I was probably going to have to
go into the water with her so when I got to her, I slid into the hole
with her,” Broering said. “I was in shoulder level water, and I got under her butt and
pushed her back onto the ice. I had to do that a few times because the
ice kept breaking. I finally pushed her out, and she walked toward the
people, and they got her.”

By that time, she said, her uncle, Steve Broering, had gotten a rope, and the two Jolly Plumbing workers had stopped to help.

“I
did really appreciate that,” she said. “It helped me a lot because I didn’t want to
crawl back. I got myself out onto the ice, and they threw me the rope
and pulled me back.”

Getting Broering out of the icy water was
important because she had been in for five or 10 minutes, neighbors
said. Paramedics from the Alexandria Fire Department had arrived, and
checked her out. She had hypothermia and scratches from the ice.

The Alexandria Fire Department had received a call that there was an animal in trouble on the ice, said Chief Jeffrey Pohlman, who arrived at the scene to see the three men pulling Broering to safety.

“It
could have been much worse,” he said. “I think people just need to
realize that what sometimes looks like thick ice is not thick ice. This
was a good ending for us. We did have personnel on the way. We do have a
boat, ice suits and everything. Having animals fall in is not uncommon
because they do venture out.”

The chief noted there are several
ponds and small lakes within his fire district. Often they are created
as retention ponds for run off.

He said he was grateful that the nearby neighbors and the two Jolly workers acted quickly.

“I
thank them all for stopping,” Pohlman said. “It just was one of those
things, the timing was right; There were people around who helped. How
long the person was in the water, I am not completely sure but I don’t
think it was very long time — but in this kind of weather, it doesn’t
take much exposure.”

Once they saw Broering was in good hands,
Maines and Vorhees left, happy to have been a part of the rescue. Maines
is from Alexandria, and Vorhees is from Independence. Both have been
with Jolly Plumbing under a year.

Many people have asked Broering how her dog is doing, and she is happy to report Bea is doing fine.

Katie Broering and Bea. Both are safe and well.