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| A woman fell through the ice on a lake in a residential neighborhood along Joann Lane in Alexandria. A nearby homeowner and two Jolly Plumbing employees on their way back from a job pulled her out. |
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.
A neighbor had seen her fall in and was at the scene as well. The three men pulled the woman out to safety just as Alexandria emergency personnel arrived and were able to take care of her.
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“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.”
Katie Broering later confirmed that she had indeed fallen through the ice while attempting to rescue her dog who had run out onto the lake and had fallen in.
The Alexandria Fire Department 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. Both the woman and her dog were okay.
“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.
