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Temperatures may be dropping, but Saskatchewan RCMP wants to remind people that ice on lakes, rivers, sloughs, ponds and dugouts in the province is still too thin to walk on.
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Corporal Jamie Diemert, co-ordinator of the Saskatchewan RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT), said in a news release that while many bodies of water freezing on the surface, there is still warm water below the surface that creates weak ice that is unsafe.
“It can break under the weight of a single person,” Diemert said. “If you fall in, it is very difficult to get out of cold water while the ice is breaking around you. There is a high risk of drowning.”
He said people should avoid walking, playing, working or driving on ice, especially white or snow ice, which is the weakest type of ice.
“Because white ice traps air and snow while freezing, it is not strong and … will form when temperatures are close to 0 C.”
The release said people should wait for strong and stable ice to form, which often appears blue coloured, Diemert said, adding it only forms when the temperature has been consistently below 0 C for a long time.
The Canadian Red Cross recommends a minimum thickness of:
- 15 cm (6 inches) of ice for skating, walking or skiing in small groups;
- 20 cm (almost 8 inches)of ice for larger groups, such as skating parties; and
- 25 cm (almost 10 inches) for snowmobiles or ATVs.
What to do if you fall into the water
If you have to be on ice, use a personal flotation device and have self-rescue ice picks readily available to be used.
Call for help if you fall into the ice.
“Do not press on the ice near you to raise yourself up. Instead, swim out of the water horizontally and kick your legs to propel yourself out of the water. Once out the water, don’t stand up. Instead, crawl or roll away from the area, spreading your arms and legs to evenly distribute your body weight,” advised the URT.
If you see someone on thin ice who needs help, immediately call 9-1-1. Remain on shore to help the person, or there is a high risk of you ending up into the water yourself.
“Extend your reach with a long pole or throw the end of a rope at the person in need,” said the statement.
Keep an eye out for other factors that can weaken ice that appear safe, like cracks in the ice, changing air temperatures above and below 0 C, moving water under the ice and the “presence of storm sewers that bring salt from nearby roads can all make the ice unsafe.”
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