Three snowmobile enthusiasts out for an afternoon of fun on Harvard’s trails got into trouble Sunday afternoon when two members of the party got stuck in a swampy area near the intersection of Ayer and Old Mill roads and required rescue by the Fire Department. According to Chief Bob Mignard, one of the three men got so stuck in the mud that he was up to his waist in ice water for almost an hour. Clad in neoprene exposure suits, two members of the Fire Department pulled him out using the “Rescue Alive” sled. No one sustained injuries or went to the hospital, Mignard said, but the man with the most exposure did spend an hour in the back of the ambulance warming up.
All three men were from out of town, Mignard said, and were unfamiliar with the area they were riding in. Firefighters were also able to retrieve the snowmobiles from the muck, and none were damaged.
Lieutenant Tony Shaw, a firefighter and president of the Harvard Snowmobile Association, kept careful watch over the rescue operation to make sure no environmental damage occurred, according to the chief. Shaw and Mignard were helped by a crew of more than a dozen people, including fellow firefighters, EMTs, and other townspeople.
