A 30-year-old man and aspiring firefighter is dead after falling through the ice during a training exercise in Hanover.

Adam Brunt, a Bowmanville man, was enrolled in the firefighting program at Durham College. 

Police say they got a call about an accident in the Saugeen River, around 1 p.m. on Sunday.

“They immediately went into rescue efforts in an attempt to locate and free a trapped man who was determined to be under the water and under the ice,” said Hanover Police Inspector Chris Knoll.

According to police and the local fire department, the section of the river near Hanover is commonly used for ice rescue training and river conditions were typical for this time of year.

This is not the first ice rescue training accident in Ontario.

In 2010, a volunteer firefighter died while training in the St. Clair River.

Officials say Brunt was wearing a survival suit and another safety apparatus when he was forced under the ice by the current.

The training exercise was being conducted by a private firm from Newmarket – 11 other students and an instructor were present at the time.

Now, Brunt's family wants to know what went wrong.

"It's not about pointing fingers at anybody. It's something that has to be prevented.  It's a tragedy that no family should ever go through,” says Brunt’s father Al Brunt. “He would have graduated this June and this is why he was doing these extra courses, so his resume would be better than some of the others’ with hopes of getting in and follow in his uncle’s footprints.”

"This is what he's always wanted to do,” added Brunt’s mother. “My brother is a firefighter and he looks up to him.”

Fire Chief Ken Roseborough estimates that Brunt was submerged for 15 minutes before he was freed.

“They had to reach in with a couple of pike poles to try and reach in and get whatever it was that he was caught on,” he said. “They were able to do that with a lot of effort and help from a number of people. We were able to get him released from under the ice.”

Brunt was rushed to hospital, but didn't survive. 

The police, coroner and the Ministry of Labour are all investigating.

Police are asking for any witnesses to come forward.