COCHRANE— Cochrane first responders are reminding people to practise ice safety when visiting the Bow River, Ghost Lake or other bodies of water.
Cochrane RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said ice safety is a topic that emerges every year.
“When you get warm weather, it doesn’t take much for that ice to become unsafe,” Savinkoff said.
Assuming the ice is unsafe to walk on is especially important at both the Bow River and Ghost Lake given the extreme fluctuations of water the bodies of water can experience.
The RCMP has seen both people and vehicles fall into the water at Ghost Lake in the past, he said, and he considers it fortunate no fatalities have occurred. He estimates more than five vehicles have fallen victim to weak ice in the past decade.
The biggest challenge in ice safety Fire Services has faced has been on the Bow River, said Cochrane Fire Services Inspector Jeff Avery.
“No ice is safe ice— Any ice you see is unsafe right now,” Avery said.
To support the weight of a person ice needs to be more than two inches thick, for ice fishing it needs to be four inches thick, for snowmobiles ice must be five inches thick, ice must be eight to 12 inches thick to support a small car and 12 to 15 inches thick to support a truck.
Fire Services has emphasized education when it comes to ice safety and this message has hit home when it comes to retention facilities in town, Avery said, but the ice jams on the Bow River have seen people exploring the area.
He estimates there are about five to six feet of ice sitting above the water level of the Bow River and there are visible holes where the formations are beginning to cave in— If someone falls into a crevasse, they have a slim chance of escaping safely.
“The river actually flows quite fast and you can get pushed under any of that ice right away if you fall in,” Avery said. “I understand that it looks really cool, but it’s so dangerous and it’s so unstable.”
He cautioned even when the town experiences frigid temperatures that fall below -30 C, the Bow River remains flowing.
“It doesn’t matter how good of a swimmer you are, if that current is pushing you under the ice, you won’t be able to swim against that current to get out,” Avery said.
The ice will become increasingly unstable as the region warms up elevating the danger to those walking on the surface.
The best safety measure people can take is to stay away from the ice.
“It’s very simple if you don’t go on the ice, you won’t fall through,” Avery said. “Our goal is to never be called for an ice rescue.”
Avery said when he is working, he will drive by the river and make sure nobody is on the ice.
In the last three weeks, Fire Services has seen three incidents of people climbing on the ice— These include children playing in the area, a man walking his dog on the ice and a person rescuing their dog from the ice. All of the incidents occurred near the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge.
Cochrane has not yet experienced a fatality of someone falling in the water and Fire Services is hoping to keep it that way, Avery said.
He cited the woman who died in Calgary after attempting to save her dog from the Bow River in February.
“She fell in and unfortunately that was a fatality and her dog made it to shore,” Avery said. “Dogs are better swimmers than we are and they can navigate themselves off the ice.”
Cochrane Fire Services will also attend scenes at Ghost Lake— This area is becoming increasingly dangerous right now and open water is visible.
“It’s unstable there too because once the dam is open and they're releasing water that ice is always moving,” Avery said.
If you spot someone on the ice call 911 and Fire Services will attend the scene.
“If you don’t go on the ice you won’t fall through,” Avery said. “It’s preventable it doesn’t have to be an accident."
