Multiple ice rescues of humans and animals over the last few days have prompted warnings from officials about ice safety. Some recent cold weather has some people under the impression the ice may be safe, but experts Thursday said not so fast.
“It always makes me nervous when other people are out there,” Beth Boland, of Vernon, said.
She lives along Bolton Lake and Wednesday, caught the tail end of a cold-water rescue on Christmas Day.
“A lot of ambulances and had a bad feeling something happened on the ice,” she said.
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A woman in her 50s was rescued from the water by the Vernon Fire Department and other first responders. She was flown to the hospital where police said she remains in stable condition.
This rescue, and others, had officials throwing up warnings by Thursday.
“Despite a wonderful stretch of winter weather, the ice across much of the state is not safe,” said Mason Trumbull, deputy commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Another water rescue was reported in Thompson on Thursday. A 13-year-old fell through the ice at Quaddick Reservoir and was able to get themselves out safely.
DEEP offered a simple message Thursday at an impromptu press conference in Portland: no ice is safe ice.
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The department said it's up to the individual to mitigate and assess risk on the ice. According to DEEP, a general rule of thumb is four inches of solid clear ice can support the average person for an activity like ice fishing.
“If you fall through the ice, not only are you putting yourself at risk but you’re putting first responders at risk as well,” Trumbull said.
First responders like the South District Fire Department in Middletown. They, like many departments across the state, train for these incidents so they are ready during the cold months.
“During the appropriate months and seasonally, we start to focus more emphasis on ice rescue and cold water rescue,” Captain AB Turenne said.
The South District fire team has a dive team ready to respond, but on their main response truck, they keep equipment for these kinds of ice and cold water rescues.
But Turenne noted it's also on the individual to take safety into their own hands.
“It’s beneficial for the public to be trained appropriately,” he said.
He urges people to go outside or recreate on the ice with a buddy or alert someone you are going out on the ice in case there is an emergency. Also make sure you are equipped with appropriate equipment like studs for boots and shoes, and ice picks. Even if you are just out to have fun.
They also recommend keeping a life jacket on your person when out on the ice, just in case.
“It’s imperative that the public puts their safety before their enjoyment,” Turenne said.
Back in Vernon, Boland noted even when the ice is cleared to be on, she still tries to avoid it.
“I never like to go on the ice, it always feels dangerous there are weak spots,” she said.
But Christmas Eve she experienced the danger from a first-person perspective herself. She had to rescue her dog Petty when he chased a Goose onto the ice and fell through.
Petty is OK, but she noted how scary the whole scenario was. It prompted a reminder she was willing to share.
“It’s not just ice, it's cold water, it's beautiful, the lake is beautiful but there are a lot of natural dangers I think people just kind of get used to,” Boland said.
