‘Stay off the ice’ warns Regina deputy fire chief

Even if you think the ice on ponds and creeks is safe to walk on, you never know for sure —that’s the message from the Regina Deputy Fire Chief.

David Kinvig says the fire department gets calls every year about people of all ages walking on ice on the small lakes and creeks in the city.

“We highly recommend people stay off ice on bodies of water, you never know if there’s a flowing current underneath, if the ice is thin, you don’t know how thick the ice is, it’s to be on the ice,” Kinvig said.

While the concern about thin ice may be more top of mind for people when the weather warms up, it is still a risk in the middle of a cold winter.

Kinvig encourages anyone who sees someone walking on ice in the city to call 911.

“Don’t go out and tell them to get off, call 911 and report it, there’ll be somebody out there from emergency services to deal with it,” he said.

Kinvig noted that the same advice applies to pets who might run out on the ice.

While he didn’t have specific numbers available, he recalls several cases of people falling through the ice in Regina and requiring water rescue.