Thin Ice Warnings

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/danger-thin-ice-ice-drowning-of-siblings-prompts-national-drowning-prevention-alliance-to-warn-keep-children-pets-off-frozen-bodies-of-water-114555834.html

If you fall through ice-

* Don't try to climb out immediately. Instead, kick to get horizontal in the water with your legs behind your torso. Then, try to slide forward onto solid ice.
* Once out of the water, roll away and avoid standing until you are several body lengths away from the ice break.
* A set of ice picks are ideal safety tools for rescuers and victims alike. When the ice pick is jammed on the ice, the retractable sheath exposes the pick. This allows a rescuer to crawl out to the victim, or gives a victim the opportunity to crawl his way out of the ice hole.


When trying to rescue a person who has fallen through ice-

* Call, or have someone call 9-1-1 first.
* Try to improvise a throwing assist, such as an empty jug with a line attached.
* If going onto ice to reach a victim is unavoidable, use a device to distribute the rescuer's weight over a wide area.
* Use a reaching assist, such as a branch or hockey stick, to extend the reach of the rescuer and prevent him or her from being dragged into the water by the victim.