Comments on: Unless you really know what you are doing stay off the ice!

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:35:57 +0000

Also if you are driving around on a lake, be careful about going under a bridge (that might be connecting to an island or crossing a narrow point). There are often changes there in currents and heat dynamics making for unexpected thin ice.

By: Lisa fleming

Lisa fleming — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:32:39 +0000

Ramsey Co. Sheriff’s Dept Water Patrol and parks division, (and other counties as well) , is in active annual drill and practice mode, and is excited to announce that they have obtained some new fangled cellular phones, and even have their own WP radio channel on county dispatch! In addition, when every squad is out on patrol, yes even reserves in the old Crown Vic’s, we put 2 dry suits and rope throw bags in the trunk, along with our usual medic bags. Our ice rescue and dive teams are ready to go with a variety of ice rescue heavy duty inflatable rescue and transport craft, as well as floating side sonar equipment. There are a couple of us that could possibly act as the giant human winch, but mostly we depend on specialized equipment and training, as do many metro FDs and Sheriff’s Departments. This terrific story may seem a little ridiculous and humorous, but the message is thoughtful and true. Emergencies, especially in near freezing water or fires or excessive weather of any kind are confusing and serendipitously unpredictable. Dont put yourself and others in life threatening conditions, stay away from any possibly compromised ice, whether it’s from currents, aerators, wind ridges, or warm weather. And even if you are sensible, if you are out on the ice, wear a wool layer and thread your ice picks thru your jacket sleeves.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:39:38 +0000

Yeah, I shudder now with the memory of all those times out on medium thin ice causing the ice to make all those strange sounds it makes just before it breaks up.

By: PZ Myers

PZ Myers — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:31:54 +0000

Winter of ’69, it was, when we had a remarkably cold winter in Seattle, and all the duck ponds froze over, and my brother & I would hike out a couple of miles to skate on one. Being Seattle, the cold weather didn’t last, and we did that one time as the ice was thinning, crashed through right in the middle of the pond, and then thrashed our way, breaking all the ice, to get to the edge and out.

The walk home was memorable. So was the look on my mother’s face when two pale blue boys staggered through the door.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:15:31 +0000

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/03/27/sheriff-man-rescued-after-snowmobile-goes-through-the-ice/

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:03:39 +0000

Our ice covered a swamp in the low area of an urban landfill. When we “fell through” we would get stuck in the mud, then we’d get rescued by the homeless people who lived that that our parents told us to avoid. Now and then the fire department was called in.

By: Yttrai

Yttrai — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Artor, that amuses me greatly because i had the same experience at the age of 12 or so! Moon boots, long branch and especially never ever telling the parents. It might be a rite of passage of Northern kids to make that mistake at least once as an early teen, just to learn our lesson and smarten us up considerably.

By: Artor

Artor — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:17:53 +0000

I fell through the ice once, when I was maybe 14. Fortunately, I had a friend with me & he was able to find a long branch, so it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as this. I learned that it’s really hard to tread water while wearing sodden moon boots, but I was able to keep them on, and slog back home to fresh laundry & an IV drip of hot cocoa. It was 25 years before I ever told my parents.