Achi news desk-
Spring is here, and with warmer temperatures on the horizon, the City of Winnipeg is warning residents to stay off the ice while waterways melt.
In a news release, the city said as temperatures warm, ice melts during the day, and then freezes at night, creating what it calls, “an unstable ice surface.”
Lorne Edwards, media co-ordinator at Lifesaving Society Manitoba, said it’s a particularly vulnerable time for icy conditions.
“Due to this transitional weather… we fully agree that the safest thing to do is to stay off the ice altogether, especially when it comes to the rivers and ponds in the city of Winnipeg,” said Edwards.
Even if rivers and reservoirs appear to have solid ice cover, the city noted that does not automatically make conditions safe.
“There’s a lot going on under the ice that people can’t see. It is an extremely dangerous hidden hazard,” the city said in a news release.
The association noted that there is also a current under the ice which has already weakened.
“It’s been a very strange winter as we’ve had freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. So the ice has been difficult this winter in a best case scenario. But at the moment, in particular, there is a great danger that he will be in a weak state. And we certainly know that fluctuating temperatures can also cause cracks in the ice to appear where you wouldn’t expect it,” Edwards said.
The association also warns that there is more to evaluating ice safety than just measuring ice thickness.
“Sometimes you’ll see slush on the ice, stay away from that, sometimes you’ll see open holes of water on the ice, obviously, you want to stay away from that.”
The organization recommends anyone going near ice this spring to, “wear either an inflatable PFG or a full life jacket, because it will save you the energy, it will keep you above the water,” and never go alone.
The city says the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) has been training all winter for emergency rescue situations.
“Our first responders are ready to help you if you get stuck on the ice or fall in,” said Matt Rollason, WFPS Water and Ice Rescue Coordinator. “But we hope you’ll be waterways staff so we don’t have to.”
According to the city, every year the WFPS responds to over 150 calls for people who need help on rivers, waterways, and swimming pools.
