During the shoulder season between winter and spring, ice conditions on lakes can become extremely precarious, as one ice fishing group discovered last week. Following an airlift rescue on Georgian Bay, the Ontario Provincial Police is urging the public to stay off the ice.
“If conditions appear questionable, it’s not that complicated. Do not go out [on the ice,]” says Sergeant Ed Sanchuk, with the OPP West Region Headquarters, in a video posted to social media following the incident.
Around noon on Sunday, March 8, several 911 calls were made, alerting the OPP West Region that 23 ice fishers had become stranded on an ice shelf that broke away from the shore roughly 100 metres off Cobble Beach. The shelf then broke into several smaller sections, separating the fishers and causing some of them to be partly submerged in the water.
Sanchuk says “strong winds” and “shifting ice conditions” were the culprit and that conditions on Georgian Bay and nearby lakes can change quickly and without warning. When first responders arrived on the scene, including two helicopters from OPP Aviation, the ice had drifted around two kilometres away from shore.
By 2:30 p.m, all the stranded ice fishers were returned to shore, with only minor injuries reported, including a few people with hypothermia. Aiding in the rescue was nearby Cobble Beach Golf Course, which opened its doors to treat and warm the victims and allowed helicopters to land.
While the OPP pulled off a successful rescue, it could have been a lot worse says Derek Rogers, the regional media relations coordinator. “Ice is unpredictable at this time of year. Fluctuations in temperature compromise the integrity of the ice, making it dangerous for anyone to venture out. Drowning and hypothermia are the primary dangers,” he says.
Photo courtesy OPP West Region
In the video posted to social media Sergeant Sanchuk says rescue missions like these are also costly and put more than just the victims lives in danger. “No fish is worth your life or the lives of people who have to rescue you,” he says. “This rescue required significant resources and frontline responders were placed at considerable risk.”
While the OPP advises all individuals to stay off the ice, if you do find yourself submerged, the most important thing to do is not panic, says The Lifesaving Society. Turn to the direction you came from, place your arms on the ice, kick your feet, and shimmy out like a penguin on your stomach to distribute your weight evenly and prevent breaking through the ice again. Once you’re out of the water, roll or crawl to safety.
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