What To Do If You Fall Through The Ice

[Oxajil]

Thought this might be helpful, it also includes tips on how to help someone else who has fallen through the ice. The videos mentioned in the article can be watched here.

What To Do If You Fall Through The Ice

In a suburb of Ottawa, there's a river that mostly freezes over in the winter and becomes a trail for snowmobiling enthusiasts. As this river runs past the backyard of a friend of mine, it narrows substantially, which translates to faster water flow, making it less able to transform into solid ice.

My friend tells me that just about every year, one or two unsuspecting snowmobilers come ripping down the river trail and end up going through thin ice and drowning. Just a couple of years ago, a man and his young daughter tragically died in this way.

Even if you aren't into snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing, or other popular outdoor winter activities, it doesn't hurt to know how to maximize your chances of surviving if you fall through ice.

In the following videos, Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht - a thermophysiologist and professor at the University of Manitoba - provides tips on how to survive after falling into icy cold water. Below the video, you'll find a summary of a few key points to share with loved ones.

First, be aware that as soon as your body hits icy cold water, it will experience something called cold shock phenomenon. This phase lasts between one to three minutes, and is characterized by an instinctive gasping response, which can lead to hyperventilation and a huge waste of energy.

As your body experiences cold shock phenomenon, your focus should be to consciously control your breathing. Try to slow your breathing down and know that you have more time than you think to survive. If it helps, remember that many top level athletes experience this scenario almost daily with ice baths following intense workouts.

Once you are relatively calm, try to swim to the point at which you fell into the water and use your arms to grab hold of a solid edge of ice.

For most of us, the natural instinct is to pull ourselves straight out, as we would do in hoisting ourselves out of a swimming pool. According to Dr. Giesbrecht, this is next to impossible.

The most efficient way to get yourself out of the water is to keep your legs as horizontal as possible and kick like you're swimming, and try to get into a rhythm of kicking your legs and pulling your body forward onto the ice with your arms. Kick, pull, kick, pull, etc.

Once you have kicked and pulled your body out of the water, remember that the ice is probably weak, and that it's best to roll your body away from this point to an area that looks more solid. Rolling can transition to crawling, and when you are relatively confident that you are on solid ground or ice, you can stand up and walk away.

What To Do If You Can't Pull Yourself Out Of The Water

If there is no one to help you and you can't get out on your own, don't thrash around, as you'll only lose more heat and get further exhausted.

Try to get as much of your body out of the water as possible to minimize heat loss. Specifically, get your arms up and onto the ice. Keep your arms there and don't move them. Then relax as much as possible.

If you're lucky, your arms will freeze to the ice before you become unconscious. If you become unconscious, you'll stay there a bit longer because you are frozen there - you might get rescued in this state.

What To Do As A Bystander

If you come upon someone who has broken through ice, remember that the most important goal should be to preserve yourself.

Dr. Giesbrecht recommends calling for help immediately, be it through yelling at people within earshot, or with a cell phone.

Tell the victim to try to relax and slow down his breathing and emphasize that you are going to help him get out.

Try to talk her out of the water - tell her to get her legs horizontal in the water, her arms up on top of the ice, and to kick, pull, kick, pull.

If the victim can't get out by himself, find something to throw to him, like a rope, tree branch, or even a ladder from a nearby home, if available. If you throw a rope, try to create a loop at the end of it so that the victim has something to grab onto. If he can, he should try to put the loop around his trunk and elbow.

***

Please consider sharing these thoughts with family and friends. Always best to be ultra cautious and stay away from frozen bodies of water, but good to know all of this just in case.

 

[ctw5000]

Thanks for the very valuable information!! I love icefishing in the winter and ice safety is very important. Here in Saskatchewan people drown every year by going through the ice..A man on a quad just passed away last weekend...Very sad and preventable.

 

[bngenoh]

Yes, thank you very much Oxajil,

Definitely a piece of information, that will probably save me or someone else's life. Very timely too since we are going into winter here in Maryland.

 

[Voyageur]

[quote author=Oxajil]
Thought this might be helpful, it also includes tips on how to help someone else who has fallen through the ice. The videos mentioned in the article can be watched here.
[/quote]

Very good advice Oxajil, thanks.

When very little, a friend and i were skating on the St. Lawrence Seaway playing hockey with a puck i'd shot to far and he suddenly dropped through the ice. The terror from this awakened my screaming for help and oh so luckily a big teenager (a guardian) came out from nowhere. He lay on the ice with his stick stretched as I held on to his skate and ankle and my friend was able to pull himself out; it is etched in memory and to this day have a very healthy respect for ice.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Yeah, thanks for this post, Oxajil. It's really important information to know -- not only if you, yourself, fall through ice, but if you happen to come upon someone who has and can help safely rescue them.

 

[Redrock12]

Very grateful for this advice Oxajil. I, like ctw5000, am also from Saskatchewan and live only about 70kms from where this tragedy occurred.

 

[MnSportsman]

Excellent advice to share. :)

In our area, (Minnesota/USA), it is recommended to wear a pair of "Ice- picks" around your neck when you are going to venture out on the ice. They are basically 3/4 - 1(+) inch dowels that have had 12-16d (penny) driven into the ends & then the heads of the nails are removed/cut off & the cutoff ends are sharpened to points. A 2-3foot section of cordage is attached to the ends opposite the spikes ( cordage thru holes drilled in the wooden dowels) & these are worn around your neck anytime you may be venturing on to the ice. Then if you are unfortunate enuff to fall thru the ice, they allow you to pull yourself back onto the ice. ( I have been thru the ice 2 times; once when hunting ( at age 15) & once when fishing( 3 years ago. Luckily for me, only in water that was chest deep. It is a bad experience. I got out even tho I did not have the picks. I make sure I have them handy every time I am on the ice now.)

NOTE>The ones we make are similar to this: Homemade-type ice picks

The ones you can purchase are similar to this: Polar Ice Picks

Another method to remember is to carry a 5-6 foot strong walking stick. If you do drop thru the ice, the stick ( which also floats) allows you to put it across the hole & will also help you to kick out & roll away from the hole towards the direction you came from. ( I used my rifle to do this the first time I went thru.)

Most of us who frequently ice fish, or are on ice-covered water, carry a 25-50 ft length of rope to use, in case of these type of situations. Lightweight & easily carried. I would also recommend that if you are participating in any activities that might have you on ice-covered water, to invite a "buddy" to go along. Both for the mutual enjoyment of your activity, but also for assistance if one, or the other, is in need of help.

Prior preparation/planning helps prevent possible predicaments. ( a modification of the "6 P's" rule) ;)

If you go out on the ice. Be safe.
:)

Regards & respects,
JB/MnSportsman


Edit.repaired some spacing & added 2 words & "/"