TIMELY WARNING: KEEP OFF THE ICE

Earlier this month, the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority issued an important warning. Stay off the ice; it's "very dangerous."

To stress the point local authorities held a demonstration at the marina the other day. A man in full snowmobile gear jumped into the water to show how hard it is to get out before rescuers, who are nowhere near most accidents, finally helped him from the hole.

The moment of actually dropping through the ice or off the edge of it must be horribly frightening. The frigid water enveloping the body and dragging it down boots first must produce an awful sense of doom. Frantically grabbing at the breaking ice must rob the body of energy at a remarkable pace. The stories some survivors tell of their friends' mournful cries fading to silence somewhere off in the dark are sickening. But they keep happening.

Northwestern Ontario has a fraction of the provincial population but it had eight of the 42 snowmobiles deaths last winter. All eight were the result of falling through ice. Of all factors contributing to snowmobile accidents, alcohol leads the list.

Snowmobilers who use their heads know the springtime rule: "If you don't know, don't go." If you haven't checked the ice to ensure that it is clear and hard and at least five inches thick, avoid it. If you don't know the waterway and places where conditions make ice unsafe, don't go near it.

Authorities say there isn't much chance of finding safe ice anymore, what with the mixed weather we've been having. So be smart and stay on the trails. There are all kinds of tricks for getting yourself out of the water and every snowmobiler should know them. But the only way to guarantee your own survival is to stay off the ice.

as reported in the Chronicle Journal - March 11, 1999 - Thunder Bay

Kam River drowning under investigation
Study first to show where child drowning occurs
Child falls in the Neebing River
Ice isn't nice
Timely Warning: stay off the ice
Area ice conditions treacherous