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BAY MILLS - With the region experiencing above average temperatures and the consistency of the ice fluctuating almost daily, the United States Coast Guard is urging snowmobilers, ice fishermen, and anyone else who would like to venture out onto any one of the area's many lakes, rivers or streams, to exercise extreme caution.
Cold water can quickly impair a person's mobility if they fall in, causing them to drown. However, most fatalities caused from falling through the ice are from hypothermia rather than drowning. Hypothermia, which kills dozens of Michigan residents each winter season, is a rapid cooling of the body's core temperature and can set in within minutes in very cold water.
USCG ENS William White said it is important that people take precautions not only before heading out onto the water or ice, but anytime they head out into the cold weather. Whether braving the elements for ice fishing, snowmobiling or hunting and trapping, White said that it is important for people to consider ICE as a precaution - Intelligence, Clothing and Equipment!
"Know the weather and ice conditions of where you are going, and know how to call for help," White said. "Wear the proper clothing and have the proper equipment (waterproof exposure suit and life preserver, ice picks or screwdrivers, whistle or noisemaker to alert people, cell phone or marine band radio in waterproof container) so you are prepared if you happen to come across trouble."
Ice safety tips
Remember, no ice is 100-percent safe and anyone venturing out onto frozen rivers, lakes or ponds should take the following precautions:
- Do not go out alone on ice. Always take a partner or someone who can call 911 for help.
- Do not make the first tracks on ice. Check with someone familiar with the area before going out.
- Leave a travel plan with someone in case you don't return.
- Dress in layers to protect all exposed body parts. Consider wearing a personal flotation device, or ice creepers for boots.
- Carry safety items like a cell phone, whistle, rope, or ice picks or screwdrivers to aid in climbing out onto broken ice.
- Check ice thickness with an ice spud, auger or cordless drill. Retreat if you find a weak spot and keep a distance between yourself and others in your group.
- If you hear ice crack, spread out, and immediately lie down to distribute weight. Then crawl back to safer ice.
- If someone falls through, do not run to the hole. Call 911 and use a pole, branch, rope or other object to extend to the victim.
- Pets that go out on ice are a major cause of many near-drownings and deaths. If you find your pet has ventured out onto the ice, resist the urge to go after them. Stay on shore and persuade them back to safety.
If you fall through ice
- Do not panic. Call out for help and kick your feet while getting hand and arms up onto safer ice. Ice picks or screwdrivers are helpful here. Continue to swim up onto ice until you can crawl or roll out onto the ice to safety.
- Devote all of your efforts to getting out of the water. Act quickly before you lose full use of your hands.
- Don't take off your clothes. Instead, button, buckle, zip and tighten collars, cuffs, shoes and hoods. If possible, cover your head - in cold water about half of heat loss comes from head.
- Don't try to swim, unless it is to a nearby boat or object you can climb on top of. By releasing the warmer water between your clothing and your body sending "warm" blood to your extremities, swimming can cut your survival time by as much as 50 percent.
- Even if it is painful, remain as still as possible. Intense shivering and severe pain in cold water are natural body reflexes.
Gauging the ice
People going out on the ice should consider the minimum thickness to support a person or vehicle:
One person: two inches of ice.
Two people: four inches of ice.
Snowmobiles and ORVs: five inches of ice.
A car: eight inches of ice.
A light truck: 12 inches of ice.
- It is impossible to determine how thick and stable ice is by just looking at it. Ice does not form or maintain uniform thickness on any body of water. Underwater springs or currents can wear thin spots on any body of water. An ice sheet may vary from 12 inches to only one inch within a distance of 10 feet.
- Clear ice is the strongest. Ice formed by melted and refrozen snow appears milky, is very porous and very weak.
- Ice covered by snow should always be presumed unsafe.
