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12/26/2006
Maine Warden Service urges caution
before venturing on the ice
AUGUSTA – Due to the season’s
unusually warm temperatures, The Maine Warden Service is urging people to
use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice covering Maine’s
waterways.
Many of Maine’s lakes and ponds do not have
any ice cover, but smaller ponds and waterways in central and northern Maine
do. Ice conditions vary greatly throughout the state, and while ice
conditions may be safe in some spots, it can be very dangerous in others.
The Maine Warden Service is recommending that people check the thickness of
any ice before venturing out for any activity on frozen water.
If you must go on the ice, the Maine
Warden Service offers these tips for ice safety:
 | Never guess the thickness of the ice -
Check it! Check the ice in several different places using an auger or
some other means to make a test hole and determine the thickness. Make
several, beginning at the shore, and continuing as you go out.
|
| Check the ice with a partner, so if
something does happen, someone is there to help you. If you are doing it
alone, wear a lifejacket. |
| If ice at the shoreline is cracked or
squishy, stay off! Watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice. Dark
snow and dark ice are other signs of weak spots. |
| Avoid areas with currents, around
bridges and pressure ridges. Wind and currents can break ice.
|
| Parents should alert children of unsafe
ice in their area, and make sure that they stay off the ice. If they
insist on using their new skates, suggest an indoor skating rink.
|
If you break through the ice, remember:
| Don’t panic |
| Don’t try to climb out immediately -
you will probably break the ice again. Reach for solid ice. |
| Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and
kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. Once on the ice,
roll, DON’T WALK, to safety. |
| To help someone who has fallen through
the ice, lie down flat and reach with a branch, plank or rope or form a
human chain. Don’t stand. After securing the victim, wiggle backwards to
the solid ice. |
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