Treacherous ice on water bodies

Every year, going out on thin ice becomes the cause of people's deaths. As a rule, fishermen and children are most often among the deceased.

Thus, on December 29, 2021, rescuers received a report about children who had fallen through the ice on the Western Dvina River near the village of Kozyanki, Polotsk district. Upon arrival at the scene, rescuers found that two children had drowned in an ice hole on the Western Dvina River, about 15 m from the bank. As it became known from the circumstances of the preliminary investigation, two boys born in 2009 and 2011 were riding a tubing from the river bank and fell into an ice hole. They were carried away by the current along it, and at the end they went under the ice. Currently, the bodies of the two children have been found by OSVOD divers.

A person who finds themselves in water can die not only from drowning but also from hypothermia, which occurs within 10 minutes of falling into cold water.

Therefore, it is necessary to know that it is possible to go out on the ice cover during the period of ice formation only when its thickness reaches at least 7 centimeters for one person and 10-12 centimeters for a group of people.

It is not recommended to go out on the ice if you are alone and there is no one within sight who could come to your aid, as well as in a blizzard and in the dark. When moving on the ice cover, you should be careful, carefully monitor its surface, and avoid dangerous and suspicious places: inlets of streams, groundwater and springs, discharge of industrial and sewage water, frozen sedge bushes and grass. Do not step on the surface of a body of water if it is loose, or if water is seeping through somewhere.

It is also forbidden to gather in large groups on the ice, and when crossing a body of water, you should maintain a distance of 5-6 meters from each other. The strength of the ice is checked not by kicking it, but with a sturdy stick. If the ice under you becomes thinner and begins to crack, carefully retreat along your own tracks to the shore with sliding steps, without lifting your feet off the ice and spreading them shoulder-width apart. Do not run on the ice – this can provoke a rapid split of the surface.

Fishermen are advised to go out on the ice wearing life jackets. For safety purposes, it is necessary to have a rope with you, with a weight attached to one end, and the other end with a loop secured to your belt. In case of falling through the ice, such a device will help the fisherman stay afloat longer and rescuers to pull him out of the ice hole faster. When fishing from the ice cover, fishermen are prohibited from drilling holes less than 1 meter apart. After fishing, the holes must be marked with stakes that are clearly visible on the ice cover.

To help a person who has fallen through the ice, you should throw them a belt, scarf, or stick, approaching the break within 3-4 meters. You can only approach the break by crawling. It is necessary to provide assistance to the victim quickly, as a person who has fallen through the ice is at risk of hypothermia. To warm up the victim, it is necessary to remove their wet clothes, rub their body, give them dry underwear and a hot drink.

Children are prohibited from going out on the ice cover without adult supervision. To avoid tragic consequences, parents and persons responsible for the upbringing of children must conduct explanatory talks about observing the rules of safe behavior on the ice and near water bodies.