Salem — Emergency responders prepared for the worst when they heard around 1 p.m. that someone had fallen through the ice at the Gardner Lake boat launch on Old Colchester Road.

According to Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Co. Deputy Chief John Cunningham, however, the man ended up only waist-deep in the water and pulled himself out as emergency crews arrived. The man refused treatment at the scene.

In addition to Gardner Lake, officials from the Salem, Bozrah and Oakdale fire departments responded.

Initially, dispatchers had placed a Life Star helicopter on standby in case the man had extended exposure to the frigid water.

"That's a big lake," Cunningham said of the precautionary measure. "Depending how far out they are, we could have to use a lot of resources to get out there to get somebody."

He encouraged residents and visitors to stay off the ice.