WEST FARGO — West Fargo firefighters hit the ice Thursday, Dec. 11, literally. The department held its annual ice water rescue training on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Crews practiced several tactics on a frozen retention pond to simulate real emergencies.

The department's training chief says conditions on the city's retention ponds can vary widely.

That's because water is constantly being pumped in and out, making some areas deceptively thin, even when temperatures are well below freezing.

The best way to stay safe? Just stay off the ponds entirely.

"You want to remind your kids not to go on these holding ponds. We have seen skating rinks on them as well. Those are not safe," Matt Berg, West Fargo fire training chief, said.

Berg says firefighters have also spotted snowmobile tracks on retenti

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