The News Room [News Archive]
Sheriff’s
Evans issues warning to residents about winter water safety
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Sheriff's Office
Dive Team practices rescue operation in Detroit River
With
outdoor temperatures on the rise, Wayne County Sheriff Warren
Evans is alerting the public to the dangers of falling through
the ice into a body of water. To make certain his department
is ready to respond to a need for an underwater rescue, Sheriff's
Dive Team members today were out performing exercises in 30-degree
water along the banks of the Detroit River in Trenton.
The team was
working on it's "quick change" operation, where
a diver returns to the surface once his oxygen tank is empty
and is quickly fitted with a new tank so he can immediate resume
their search or rescue efforts. A former member of the Sheriff’s
Dive Team himself, Evans knows the importance of a quick response
to such an accident.
"The
most critical factor in making an under water rescue is time," Evans
said. "By running through exercises in all types of weather
conditions, we will be able to respond effectively in any situation
and hopefully save a life."
Evans also
stressed the need to be prepared for any possibility when going
out onto a frozen body of water. He said precautions should include
carrying ice claws to help you pull yourself back out if you
fall in and wearing a life vest beneath your coat.
" There
is no such thing as a safe ice," Evans said. "Especially
with warmer temperatures, anyone venturing out onto an ice-covered
water way should assume it is unsafe. Some simple precautions
may help avoid a needless tragedy."
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Ice safety tips
Before venturing
out on a frozen lake or pond keep in mind, there is no such
thing as 100 percent safe ice!
Recommended
minimum ice thickness
- 4" of
new clear ice is the minimum thickness for travel on foot
- 5" is
minimum for snowmobiles and ATV
- 8"-
12" for cars or small trucks
[Remember that
these thicknesses are merely guidelines for new, clear, solid
ice. Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe.]
Check
for known thin ice areas with a local resort or bait shop.
Test the
thickness yourself using an ice chisel, ice auger or even a
cordless 1/4 inch drill with a long bit.
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Refrain
from driving on ice whenever possible.
If you must
drive a vehicle, be prepared to leave it in a hurry--keep windows
down, unbuckle your seat belt and have a simple emergency plan
of action you have discussed with your passengers.
Stay
away from alcoholic beverages.
Even "just
a couple of beers" are enough to cause a careless error
in judgment that could cost you your life. And contrary to
common belief, alcohol actually makes you colder rather than
warming you up.
Don't "overdrive" your
snowmobile's headlight.
At even 30
miles per hour, it can take a much longer distance to stop
on ice than your headlight shines. Many fatal snowmobile through-the-ice
accidents occur because the machine was travelling too fast
for the operator to stop when the headlamp illuminated the
hole in the ice.
Wear
a life vest under your winter gear.
Or wear one
of the new flotation snowmobile suits. And it's a good idea
to carry a pair of ice picks that may be home made or purchased
from most well stocked sporting goods stores that cater to
winter anglers. It's amazing how difficult it can be to pull
yourself back onto the surface of unbroken but wet and slippery
ice while wearing a snowmobile suit weighted down with 60 lbs
of water. The ice picks really help pulling yourself back onto
solid ice.
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What
if a companion falls through thin ice?
- Keep calm
and think out a solution.
- Don't run
up to the hole. You'll probably break through and then there
will be two victims.
- Use some
item on shore to throw or extend to the victim to pull them
out of the water such as jumper cables or skis, or push a boat
ahead of you.
- If you can't
rescue the victim immediately, call 911. It's amazing how many
people carry cellphones.
- Get medical
assistance for the victim. People who are subjected to cold
water immersion but seem fine after being rescued can suffer
a potentially fatal condition called "after drop" that
may occur when cold blood that is pooled in the body's extremities
starts to circulate again as the victim starts to re-warm.
What
if YOU fall in?
Try not to
panic. Instead, remain calm and turn toward the direction you
came from. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface
of the ice [here's where the ice picks come in handy.] Work
forward on the ice by kicking your feet. If the ice breaks,
maintain your position and slide forward again. Once you are
lying on the ice, don't stand. Instead, roll away from the
hole. That spreads out your weight until you are on solid ice.
This sounds much easier than it really is to do.
The best
advice is don't put yourself into needless danger by venturing
out too soon or too late in the season. No angler, no matter
how much of a fishing enthusiast, would want to die for a crappie.
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