SPECIAL REPORT: Winter Safety Tips to Live By
“Thick and blue, tried and true -- Thin and crispy, way too
risky.”
Safe Ice vs. Unsafe Ice: When on the ice, be smart and be safe
When
going out on Lake George for ice fishing, skating, snowmobiling or skiing, you
should prepare yourself as much as possible to avoid going through the ice and
to deal with the situation in case you do happen to fall through the ice. Here
are some do’s and dont’s:
-
Never
go out on the ice alone. Go out with another person and keep a good distance
apart as you move about. If one of you falls through, the other can attempt to
get help. That person can also attempt a rescue.
-
Carry
some “survival” equipment, such as a length of rope. Carry a pair of ice picks
or even a pair of screwdrivers tied together with a few feet of strong cord.
You could use these to pull yourself up and onto the ice. If they have wooden
handles, they will float, which is handy if you drop them in the struggle to
get out of the water.
- If snowmobiling at
night, don’t “outdrive” your headlight. Give yourself time to spot and
avoid open water, pressure ridges and patches of weak ice.
- Perhaps more than
anything, avoid alcohol. Alcohol increases your chances for hypothermia,
impairs your judgment and slows your reaction time.
Surviving
an Icy Plunge into the Frigid Waters of Lake George
Whether you have fallen through thin ice or are trying to rescue
someone who has, the most important thing to remember is: you have more time
than you think.
What to do if you fall
through the ice
- Try not to panic.
Call out for help only if you see someone. Otherwise, save your breath.
The cold shock that makes you hyperventilate will subside within 1-3
minutes. The best thing to do is to get your breathing under control and
keep above water. You are more likely to die from drowning than from
hypothermia.
- Remove any
extraneous objects that will weigh you down. (skis, snowmobile helmet,
skates, etc.)
- Try to get out from
the direction that you came in. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken
surface of the ice. You will only have 2-5 minutes before you lose the
strength to pull yourself out.
- Begin kicking your
feet to get your body horizontal. Then, pull yourself along the ice until
you are out of the hole. Be slow and deliberate to conserve your strength
and body heat.
- If the ice breaks,
move forward and try again.
- Once you are lying
on the ice, DO NOT stand up. Roll away from the hole, then crawl following
your footsteps back toward shore. Don’t stand until the hole is well
behind you. You want to distribute your weight evenly over a wide area to
prevent going through again.
- If you can’t pull
yourself out within 10 minutes from the time that you went in, cease all
attempts. At this point, you need to extend the time period in which
someone else could rescue you by conserving body heat. The body loses heat
much faster in water than it does in air, so get as much of your body out
of the water as possible.
- Keep your forearms
flat and still on the ice. Hopefully, your clothing will freeze to the
ice, possibly preventing you from going under, even if you become
unconscious.
- It is possible to
survive for up to 2 hours before succumbing to hypothermia. In other
words, if you stay composed and keep above water, you have almost a 2 hour
window of opportunity to be rescued.
What to do if
you see someone fall through the ice
- Keep calm and
try to keep the victim calm.
- Assess the
availability of extra help. If possible, call 911 or look for people in
the vicinity.
- If you are on
the ice, DO NOT run up to the hole. If you are on shore, DO NOT run onto
the ice. The last thing you want to do is become a second victim.
- Use an item on
shore to throw or extend to the victim that will allow you to pull them
out of the water. (Rope, ladder, branch extension cord, skis, jumper
cable, etc.) You can also form a human chain with people lying flat on the
ice to distribute the weight as evenly as possible.
- Once the victim
is safely on shore, they may seem to be in relatively good condition.
However, a potentially fatal condition called “after drop” can occur soon
afterward. Cold blood that has been pooled in the body’s extremities
starts to circulate again as the body warms up. At this point, the body
begins to shiver violently in an attempt to raise the temperature again.
- Never rub the
victim’s arms, hands, legs or feet, as this could cause or exacerbate the
“after drop.”
- Never give the
victim alcohol or caffeinated products. They restrict the blood vessels
and slow circulation.
- If possible,
exchange wet clothes for dry clothes, wrap the victim in a blanket and get
the victim out of the elements.
- Get an ambulance
or rescue squad to the scene as fast as possible.
Is
the ice thick enough? Better err on the side of caution
Minimum thickness
(inches) NY USACE PA NH
1
person on foot 2 2 4
4
group
(single file) 3 3 7
6
1
snowmobile - 3 5
-
1
car (2 tons) 7.5 7 8
7.5
Light
Truck (2.5 tons) 8 8 11
8-12
Truck
(3.5 tons) 10 9 -
12-15
Sources
for ice thickness and ice safety/rescue tips:
U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers - www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil/ice/safety.html
NYS
DEC -www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/icefish.html#theice
NH
Fish & Game Dept - www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/Fishing_PDFs/Safety_on_ice.pdf
PA
Fish & Boat Commission
http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/education/catalog/icesafetychart.pdf
Discovery
Channel Canada - www.exn.ca/video/?Video=exn20020325-icewater.asx