Courtesy: Town of High Level
The Town of High Level would like to remind all local residents that the warm spring weather
has made ice unsafe to be on. Please stay clear and make sure pets stay clear as well!
Ice thickness can be affected by a number of factors, including the water depth and size of the
waterbody, chemicals, water level fluctuations, and obstructions absorbing hear from the sun.
The colour of ice may be an indication of its strength. At this time of year, most of the ice is grey,
indicating the presence of water.
Alone on the ice
If you find yourself alone and in trouble on ice, it is important to do the following:
Call for help. If you have fallen in, resist the urge to climb back out where you did so. The ice
will be weak in this area.
Try to relax and catch your breath. Turn to the shore. The ice is more stable closer to shore.
Reach forward onto the broken ice without pushing down. Kick your legs to try to get your body
into a horizontal position. Continue kicking your legs and crawl onto the ice.
When you are back on the ice, crawl on your stomach or roll away from the open area with your
arms and legs spread out as far as possible to evenly distribute your body weight.
Do not stand up!
Look for shore and make sure you are crawling in the right direction.
With others on the ice
If you find yourself with others when someone goes through the ice, it is extremely important to
remember the dangers involved in rescuing other people from ice. The safest way to do so is from
shore.
Call for help! Your best chance at a safe rescue will usually be from trained professionals. Check
if you can reach the person using a long pole or branch from shore – if so, lie down and extend
the pole to the person.
If you go onto ice, wear a PFD and carry a long pole or branch to test the ice in front of you.
Bring something to reach or throw to the person (e.g. pole, weighted rope, line or tree branch).
When near the break, lie down to distribute your weight and slowly crawl toward the hole.
Remaining low, extend or throw your emergency rescue device (pole, rope, line or branch) to the
person. Have the person kick while you pull them out.
Move the person to a safe position on shore or where you are sure the ice is thick. Signal for help.
On Wednesday evening, April 20, the High Level Fire Department took part in ice rescue
exercises at the holding pond near Highway 58 and Rainbow Blvd. It was an opportunity for the
HLFD to practice life-saving rescue techniques in a supervised environment.
