JESSUP, Md. — It may be beautiful, and even tempting, but it’s never safe to cross a frozen lake or pond.
As we reach above-freezing temperatures for the first time in weeks, first responders are especially warning to stay off the ice.
“Hitting water this cold will take your breath away as soon as you get there. Panic kicks in and it's a series of {you’re} unable to make decisions and unable to self-rescue based on the loss of coordination, which can happen within minutes,”Howard County Fire Rescue Services’ special operations team member Lt. Adam Nolder said.
First responders urge people to stay off frozen ponds and lakes as temperatures warm
On Tuesday, the Engine 10 team brushed up their ice rescue safety skills at a pond at Guilford Park. Taking the plunge with bright yellow, buoyant dry suits that keep them insulated from the cold.
It’s nearly impossible to tell how deep the ice is on bodies of water unless you cut into it.
“You will see graphics online saying how much ice is safe to walk on. We don’t know how deep the ice is here,” Nolder said. “Plus, factor in when it gets above freezing during the day, the ice thaws, then it refreezes and that weakens the structural integrity of the ice. So, you truly never know.”
The ice depth can also be inconsistent.
If the ice breaks, rescuers only have a short period of time.
“Our goal is to get to the person in the water as fast as possible. We do not assume that they will have any fine motor skills left by the time we get there, that they will be struggling to stay afloat, hold onto the ice, and that they may also be a state of altered level of consciousness,” Nolder explained.
Once they get the call, first responders put on their dry suits in the back of the fire truck while en route. At the scene, they make contact with the victim and never let go while putting on a foam sling around them that helps them float.
Rescuers then maneuver a rescue sled underneath the person who fell in which is attached to a rope.
Someone on shore pulls that rope to get both to safety.
These are skills they hope they never have to use.
“Just stay off the ice. Tell your kids to stay off the ice. It's one of the frequent calls we get during a freeze like this is someone saw kids on the ice and doesn't see them anymore,” Nolder said.
Howard County police’s community outreach and pathways section officers have been making increased checks, especially at Wilde Lake around school dismissal time.
The lake is nearby two elementary schools and a high school.
How to survive falling through the ice
If you do happen to be on ice when it cracks, Nolder says to try to spread out your body weight as much as possible.
"Spread yourself out, hands and knees, widen your stance so all your weight is not focused straight down," he said.
If you see someone go under, call 911 immediately.
“Keep your eyes on them, because if we don't know where they fell through. It's going to take a lot more time to get to them,” he said.
The department has not had to make any ice rescues this season so far, nor in the last few years besides deer and dogs. Because it’s anticipated it will take awhile for things to thaw out, the risk will remain for quite some time.
As the ice breaks up, the more complicated the rescue may be.