As the air temperature drops, an ice cover begins to form on the region's water bodies. The first to usually test its strength are ice fishing enthusiasts and children.
To prevent accidents and incidents on water bodies, rescuers recommend observing safety rules.
Walking on ice always involves significant risk and poses a great danger to life. A person falling into the water can die not only from drowning but also from hypothermia, which sets in as early as 10 minutes after entering cold water.
Therefore, it is necessary to know that stepping onto the ice during the period of ice formation is only possible 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 on the ice if you are alone and there is no one within sight who could come to your aid, as well as during blizzards and at night. When moving on the ice, you should be cautious, carefully monitor its surface, and avoid dangerous and suspicious areas: inflows of streams, groundwater and springs, industrial and sewage discharge, and frozen sedge and grass. Do not step on the surface of a water body 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 water body, maintain a distance of 5-6 meters from each other. The strength of the ice is tested not with a kick of the foot, 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 keeping them shoulder-width apart. Do not run on the ice – this can provoke a rapid split of the surface.
Fishermen are advised to go on the ice wearing life jackets. For safety, it is necessary to have a rope with a weight attached to one end, and the other end with a loop around your waist. 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, fishermen are prohibited from drilling holes at a distance of less than 1 meter between them. 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, throw them a lifebuoy, scarf, or stick, approaching the hole within 3-4 meters. You can only approach the break by crawling. It is necessary to provide assistance to the victim as quickly as possible, as a person who has fallen through the ice is at risk of hypothermia. To warm up the victim, remove their wet clothes, rub their body, give them dry underwear and a hot drink.
Children are forbidden to go onto the ice without adult supervision. To avoid tragic consequences, parents and persons responsible for the upbringing of children must conduct explanatory conversations about observing the rules of safe behavior on the ice and near water bodies.