Through the month of January, the City of Red Deer Emergency Services Department is planning to use the ponds at Three Mile Bend Recreation area for ice rescue courses. Using an almost one-metre-long cutting blade on a chainsaw, fire-medic Doug McCrae cuts an opening in the ice on the first day of training. The course will be a refresher for many members of the department, while newer members of the department will get their first experience in ice rescue techniques.