The cold facts about ice

Last update: December 10, 2008 - 9:46 PM

Over the years, the folks at the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have seen plenty of thin-ice tragedies unfold. They offer this advice:

If your dog wanders out onto a partly frozen body of water, do not follow it. If the dog falls into the water, stay put, because if you don't, you will likely fall in, too. Don't compound a tragedy; call the authorities for help.

If you fall through ice, your chances of survival are stronger if you heed the following:

Don't remove winter clothing. Heavy clothes can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmobile suit.

Turn the direction you came from, because that's probably where the strongest ice is.

Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. If you have anything sharp with you, use it to secure your grip.

Kick your feet to work your way back onto solid ice. If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partly out of the water with your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward.

Once you are out of the water, lie flat on the ice and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out.

For more information, go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice.

Source: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol, DNR

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