Sarnia Fire is reminding residents that no ice is safe ice when it comes to lakes, ponds and other bodies of water.
Fire Life Safety Educator Mike Otis said they've responded to a few calls on the ice this winter season, including one where a dog went through a frozen pond off Blackwell Road on New Years Eve.
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"You can never fully trust that the ice is going to be strong enough," he said. "And venturing out onto ice with the risk of falling though is extremely dangerous in the winter time."
Otis said according to SkyTracker Weather, ice needs to be at least 10 centimetres thick for a person, 20 centimetres for a snowmobile, 30 centimetres for a car or truck and even thicker for a heavier vehicle.
He said if someone falls through the ice, bystanders should throw something to them to grab on to and call 9-1-1.
"It's just like with swimming, you want to throw something to them. Call for help, and definitely don't also go out onto the ice because you're just going to become, possibly, a second victim."
For the person who falls through, Otis said it's important that they don't want to jump back on the ice where it broke.
"Basically, you want to get as flat as you can and spread your weight out and try and get back up onto the ice and work your way back to shore."
Otis said hypothermia and drowning are a person's biggest risks when falling through ice.
"Hypothermia sets in extremely quick in cold water. You go into cold water shock essentially immediately if you fall through the ice. You start losing control over your limbs and your mental functions. Everything gets impaired in cold water."
Otis said it only takes half-a-cup of water in someone's lungs in order to drown. He also added that just to be safe, it's recommended that people wear life jackets if they go onto the ice.
The London Fire Department recently saved a young boy who became stranded on a frozen pond while riding a toboggan.
- With files from Natalia Vega
