
Here’s How To Survive A Fall Through Ice During New England Winters
This might be my biggest fear. Trusting a thin layer of ice entirely too much and falling feet first into a freezing body of water.
The thing is, I panic under pressure as I'm sure some of you do too, so I'm putting this set of directions in writing for you to save and try to remember if you too trust thin ice way more than you should. How many weekends do Mainer's spend ice fishing throwing back high noons? The answer is a lot and let's be honest, after a few noonies the water won't seem as cold as it really is so let's set you up to avoid hypothermia, huh?
What should you do first if you fall through ice into freezing cold water?
Well, according to dnrstate, there's a 6 step process to follow starting with keeping yourself calm. After you can get yourself together enough, start this process:
- Don't remove your winter clothing. Heavy clothes won't drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmobile suit.
- Turn toward the direction you came. That’s probably the strongest ice.
- Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. This is where a pair of nails, sharpened screwdrivers or ice picks come in handy in
providing the extra traction you need to pull yourself up onto the ice. - Kick your feet and dig in your ice picks to work your way back onto the solid ice. If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward.
- Lie flat on the ice once you are out and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out. This may help prevent you from breaking through again.
- Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area and re-warm yourself immediately. In moderate to severe cases of cold water hypothermia, you must seek medical attention. Cold blood trapped in your extremities can come rushing back to your heart after you begin to re-warm. The shock of the
chilled blood may cause ventricular fibrillation leading to a heart attack and death!
How many inches of ice is safe to walk on?
Mass.gov says water must be frozen at least 4 inches thick before it's safe to walk on.
Also Read: 3 things i learned the hard way that you should never leave in a freezing car
I'll leave you with this. Maine loves their frozen lake activities and it's in all of our best interests to educate ourselves on what to do if it happens to you. Remember, it "would never happen to you" until it does. Stay safe!
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