The spring flood season is approaching. Spring does not always bring joy to those who do not observe the rules of conduct on water during floods and when ice is unstable. Safety rules during the spring flood must be followed by everyone!
In spring, accidents involving children and teenagers are particularly frequent. Left unsupervised, they, unaware of or disregarding safety measures, engage in mischief on the riverbanks, jumping from one ice floe to another. Some manage to fish while on unstable ice. Such carelessness sometimes ends tragically. Children rush to the pond or river to skate one last time, slide down steep banks on sledges, or simply play on the ice. With the onset of ice drift, children gather on the riverbank, attempting to walk on the ice and even climb onto floating ice floes. All this involves great risk and danger to life. Skating on ice floes, logs, or rafts often leads to tragic consequences.
What are children prohibited from doing during the flood period?
1. Going out onto bodies of water during the spring period;
2. Crossing rivers during the ice drift period;
3. Approaching rivers closely in areas of ice jams, standing on steep banks subject to flooding and, consequently, collapse;
4. Approaching ice jams, pushing ice floes away from the banks;
5. Measuring the depth of a river or any body of water, walking on ice floes and riding on them (children often use various floating devices and abandoned boats to ride on the first open water).
4. Do not stand on steep and eroded banks – they may collapse.
When observing ice drift from a bridge, embankment, or pier, do not lean over railings or other barriers.
5. If you witness an accident on a body of water, do not panic, do not run home, but shout loudly for help; adults will hear and help rescue from trouble. Also, call rescuers immediately by phone 101 or 112.
Parents are obliged to:
1. Not allow children to go to the river without adult supervision, especially during the ice drift period;
2. Warn them about the danger of being on the ice when a river or lake opens up;
3. Explain the rules of conduct during the flood period, and prohibit them from fooling around near the water;
4. Do not allow them to ride on homemade rafts, boards, logs, or floating ice floes. A detached ice floe, cold water, and a fast current pose a risk of an accident!
5. Explain to children the safety precautions during the ice drift and spring flood periods.
You, more than anyone else, are responsible for the most precious person to you. Do not be lazy, convey this important information to children.
Head of the Lepel Rescue Station I.A. Mikhno