BAZETTA, Ohio (WKBN) — Firefighters from two townships were out on Mosquito Lake on Wednesday, honing their skills in rescuing people from the water.

Bazetta and Champion firefighters were out on the open water of Mosquito Lake practicing water rescues and getting themselves back into a boat.

“This is just one aspect of our jobs. You know, we’re not always on the ambulance or fighting fires. There’s a multitude of things we need to be sharp with,” said Champion Fire Chief Tom Dempsey.

The goal is to be better prepared in case there’s an emergency on the water, when time is of the essence.

“Lives matter, time matters. If we’re sharp with our skills, then we can decrease the time it takes to get someone out of the water,” Dempsey said.

“This is actually my first time going out on just open water without the ice, so it was very interesting trying to get into the boat without trying to rock it or tip it or just anything like that,” said part-time Champion firefighter Nicholas Schreckengost.

Schreckengost knows practice makes perfect, not only for anyone he may be helping, but other emergency responders too.

“You don’t want to become another victim or anything like that or possibly make the situation worse by jeopardizing the crew. So knowing how to do it safely is very important,” Schreckengost said.

Firefighters say they typically do this kind of training twice a year, once in the summertime and then once again in the winter when Mosquito Lake has ice.

“Obviously, Mosquito Lake gets a lot of ice fishermen, so if there is an instance where we have a fisherman go down in the water, this way, you know we’re prepared,” Dempsey said.