Vermont’s U.S. Coast Guard station in Burlington has a new tool for ice rescues on Lake Champlain.
Last year Vermont’s U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy helped the station secure a $260,000 ice rescue boat that can cross easily from ice to water and back again.
Coast Guard officials say the air boat will extend for the first time the station’s winter reach to the entire lake.
The vessel is an air boat driven by a fan on the back. It is similar to craft used in swamps, but it has a heated cabin.
The Burlington Free Press says the Burlington Coast Guard station made three ice rescues last year. Over the last 15 years, the station has performed an average of about two ice rescues a year.