The old saying is “practice makes perfect.” To volunteer firefighters and those who comprise emergency responders, while perfection may be their goal, they know realistically that their best hope is to get as close to this objective as possible.

How do they attempt to do this? Practice, practice, practice.

A few weeks ago, emergency responder organizations convened at Mauch Chunk Lake Park to participate in a full-scale exercise to reinforce what needs to be done in a lake rescue.

It’s the same with volunteer firefighters, who undergo weekly or periodic drills so they are as fully prepared as possible when they encounter fires which range from the mundane to the unusual.

The Mauch Chunk Lake drill had as its premise that two people were presumed drowned in the lake. According to Carbon County’s Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Nalesnik, the drill involved those units that typically would respond if this were the real thing - Lehighton ambulance, Jim Thorpe Fire Departments and police, state Fish and Boat Commission, the lake’s park rangers, the county’s Sheriff’s Department personnel, Lehighton Fire Co. dive teams, St. Luke’s LifeFlight, the county 911 and EMA officials.

The objective of such an exercise is to not only hone and improve skills but also to underscore the importance of teamwork, Nalesnik said.

The impetus for the drill was the drowning in July 2022 of a 17-year-old boy. Over the years, there have been water rescues in the popular lake, each of them different in some ways.

Conducting drills and practice exercises helps emergency personnel enhance their preparedness and response skills by allowing them to familiarize themselves with equipment, procedures and protocols to reduce confusion during actual emergencies.

These exercises also are intended to improve response times leading to speedier and more efficient outcomes.

Among the drills’ objectives is one to foster teamwork and coordination among the different agencies and individuals involved.

An important aspect of these practice sessions is to identify weaknesses in plans or communications that can be addressed and improved.

The sessions also are aimed at building confidence and morale among the involved personnel, which will enable them to handle high-pressure situations better.

These exercises can result in the evaluation of the effectiveness of emergency plans and adjust them based on real-time feedback. They also help to reduce errors during crises and help promote better decision-making and safety. A key benefit involves the ability to adapt to changing and unforeseen conditions.

We owe these emergency personnel, first responders and volunteers a debt of gratitude for their involvement and participation in these important and lifesaving exercises, and I want to take this opportunity to say “thank you” for being committed to your community and its safety as you have shown time and time again.

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI|tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.