Frozen River Rescue Nets Red Cross Award for Local Firefighters, Dispatcher

For 20 minutes, Kay Dickison clung to ice in the Mississippi River while she struggled against the current and fought to stay warm.

Now, two firefighters and one Dakota County dispatcher who played pivotal roles in Dickison's rescue from the frozen Mississippi on Dec. 12, 2009, are being honored for their efforts.

This May, Dakota County dispatcher Beth Molstad and Inver Grove Heights firefighters Brian Brandt and Luke Steenberg will all receive the American Red Cross "Heroes" award. The honor is given to "those who have made the simple, yet powerful decision to put their personal needs aside in order to help others," according to the Red Cross website.

On a Saturday afternoon in December, Dickison's year-old Springer Spaniel went through the river ice after chasing a goose. Dickison, an Inver Grove Heights resident, said she was well aware of the risks that river ice can pose, but was overcome by the sight of her struggling family pet. Sprawling out on her stomach to distribute her weight across the ice, she tried to reach the dog with a long piece of wood. Just as Dickison pushed the wood toward her dog, the ice gave way beneath her.

Dressed in a heavy winter jacket with boots and gloves, Dickison got bogged down and couldn't get back onto the ice shelf along the shore of the river. Instead, she held on to the ice, bracing herself against the current.

"Obviously you’re very scared, and it doesn’t take long in those attempts until you’re totally saturated," Dickison said. "You can’t maneuver when your body becomes a popsicle."

Enter Molstad, the dispatcher who received a frantic phone call from Dickison's teenage son, Kyle. Molstad suggested that Kyle push an extension ladder out to her, according to Inver Grove Heights Fire Chief Judy Thill. Dickison was able to hold onto the ladder until Brandt and Steenberg arrived.

The first emergency responders on the scene, Brandt and Steenberg both had extensive ice rescue training with thermal wetsuits, floatation devices and river equipment. Given Dickison's precarious situation, however, the two decided to act before other department members arrived with the gear.

With Steenberg holding one end of Dickison's ladder from a dock on the shore, Brandt climbed halfway out onto the ladder to secure it so the two could pull Dickison from the water. After they got Dickison onto shore, other members of the fire department successfully rescued her dog, Thill said.

Thill praised the level-headed thinking of Brandt, Steenberg and Molstad, and credits the rescue to their training and decisive action on the ladder.

“That’s the nature of what we all do, as a call taker, dispatcher or firefighter," Thill said. “People call us when something goes wrong in their lives, and we have to do the best that we can to make that outcome positive.”

All three emergency responders will be presented with the Red Cross award at a honorary breakfast in May at the University of Minnesota.

The award, Brandt said, is an "honor." While the fire department captain believes the rescue is "just part of the job," Dickison thinks differently.

“I think they’re unsung heroes. It’s a trite, over-used term, but it’s really true," Dickison said. "A town is not just its main street, a town is also about the quality of its fire department and police force."