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Original poster

What would you do if someone fell through ice?

41 replies

Knitwit101 · 01/02/2019 21:37

We were at the park today and this teenage girl was walking out on the ice into the middle of the pond. Far out, maybe 20m from the edge.
I heard one man shout at her to come back and she told him to f off. Her friends were all egging her on and she was going further and further. She was fine, she didn't fall in. But it got me wondering what I would have done if she had fallen in.

There's no safety rope, she was way too far for anyone to throw her a branch or a scarf. Should you go in after her? Surely not, then you are just as likely to fall in and get hypothermia. Do you just phone 999 and wait? I can't think of anything else to do really.

I also considered taking her photo and blocking out her face and sharing it on our local facebook group so her parents knew what she was up to but I didn't. I then had to listen to my kids go on and on about why they were not allowed on the ice when it was clearly perfectly safe, since there was an idiot teenage girl jumping up and down right in the middle.

OP posts:

Graphista · 02/02/2019 23:36

I was always taught

Shout - let them know you're there and helps coming, also helps them to locate the surface if they're under or locate gaps in the ice, also stands for calling 999

Reach - if you can reach them safely by spreading your weight across the ice and using branches, poles etc

Break - if you can't safely reach, the biggest danger is they go under and can't "find" that hole again and any rescuers can't find them plus 999 respondents take time to get there so in the meantime you can make it easier for when they DO to break that ice down as much as possible - enlist others to help, send someone to get salt, hot water etc to melt it. It's easier for rescue teams to find and rescue from water than ice.

She was being bloody stupid! Given the current weather we really should have psa's telling kids how stupid this is! (Although begs the question wtf the parents have taught them!)

Redglitter · 02/02/2019 23:43

You don’t go after her. Report to police

That wastes valuable minutes. Phone the Fire Service. Theyre the ones trained in rescues not the Police

thaegumathteth · 02/02/2019 23:43

I’d call for help and encourage them to stay calm and not thrash about if it all possible. They should lean forward onto the ice as flat as possible and pull themselves up whilst kicking with their legs - like breast stroke on the ice almost.

Incidentally a mum from school posted photos this week of her kids ‘exploring’ standing on a local frozen pond. She thought it was brilliant fun. I didn’t know what to say tbh.

ChakiraChakra · 02/02/2019 23:45

Perhaps a post on the local Facebook groups, asking parents to talk to their children about the danger, and explain what you saw. And maybe a good time to check next time you're there that there is a lifebelt and rope, if not consider petitioning the landowner to provide one.

nervousbreakdown · 02/02/2019 23:56

I thought this earlier watching a video of girls ice skating on local pond ... not sure how safe that is ! My mum has a photo of me in my pram aged 6 months taken 100m onto huge river (probably about 6ft deep at least) ... I shudder imagining what could have happened if that ice had broken .

zebakrheum · 03/02/2019 00:06

If it's a river or another body of water with currents, you can be swept along under the ice. The rescuers won't find you.

Dial 999

anxiousbundle · 03/02/2019 00:17

This thread is seriously chilling. Sorry for the pun.

It's truly terrifying though imagining that an accident like this could occur, is the danger that the person goes under and freezes or that they can't find the surface again? My first instinct would be of course to help them but after reading peoples advice on here I would definitely be straight on 999 calling the fire brigade and/or looking for a rope or life float.

Fluffyears · 03/02/2019 01:15

We have several frozen areas here in Scotland, not much snow but very cold -10c at night. I have only seen ice safe to skate on once in my lifetime. I saw a film (think it was Omen) where a lad gets trapped under the ice and swept along. Scared me shitless and will never venture onto frozen ponds/lakes etc.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 03/02/2019 01:43

I’m in Northern Alberta. Major rivers freeze over here. We have an ice road just north of us.
Folks take their trucks out on local lakes and go ice fishing. Oddly enough, I don’t think schools teach ice safety. The only time the local emergency services tell folks to stay away is when the river breaks, due to risk of flash flooding, or being clobbered by a 1 ton piece of ice making its way downstream.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 03/02/2019 01:46

Apologies for the soundtrack. Keep an eye out for the tree. m.youtube.com/watch?v=JlQEs-xnCjU

justilou1 · 03/02/2019 02:26

I used to live in the Netherlands. Every year some twit would fall through thin ice on a canal, invariably because they had gone running in after their tiny dog had run after a bird and fallen through. Never ceased to amaze me that they wouldn’t stop to think about it first. Tiny dog vs big human.... Then they put everyone else in danger.....

twocats335 · 03/02/2019 07:07

I have an image from the film The Omen where the kid is under the ice looking up!

What a silly girl. I'd have shouted at her until she came off.

Fluffyears · 03/02/2019 16:25

@twocats335 that is the scene that has made me determined never to walk on frozen bodies of water.

Gingerkittykat · 03/02/2019 20:35

I'm so angry. Local loch had a dog fall through last week (dog was rescued thankfully) and today my friend posted pics of her niece (around 7 or 8) standing on the ice at the edge of the loch looking at the ducks walking on the surface.

Granted it was the edge, she won't drown if she goes through but still a risk of injury or hypothermia. It got down to -6 last night.

Some people are beyond stupid.

Thesearmsofmine · 03/02/2019 20:45

I hate seeing this. We’re in Yorkshire and the pond in our local park was iced over this weekend, someone had clearly been on there with a bike or something as you could see where they had been. Idiots.

IncrediblySadToo · 03/02/2019 21:32

Incidentally a mum from school posted photos this week of her kids ‘exploring’ standing on a local frozen pond. She thought it was brilliant fun. I didn’t know what to say tbh

How about ‘You absolute
fucking idiot. What the hell do you think you’re doing? They could die doing that

‘One way to reduce over crowding in schools*

‘That’s really not a good idea’ then explain the risks to the stupid cow.

Despite the fact she had been a gobby little cow (and the temptation to let her suffer from her own stupidity would be quite strong) I’d think of her parents and be very firm about her getting off. I’d tell her she gets off NOW or I’m calling the police who will take it very seriously. I would tell her mates to call her parents and try to get another passer by to put the pressure on them. If she didn’t immediately start making her way off the ice on her stomach I’d call 999.

I’d do the same if it was an adult. But not rig parents obviously 🤣

If she had already fallen in, I’d obviously call 999 and TRY to remember that SHE has probably got a better chance of getting out if I don’t try to help by going out to her, but it would be very hard not to - despite the fact that a young, fit, slim teenager stands a far better chance of getting out than I do and the fire dept don’t need two rescues on their hands. Any younger than 13 though and I’m not sure I’d be able to stop myself and a very young child I think you’d have to sit on me to stop me. The thought of them being trapped under the ice not being able to find the hole, not knowing if they could swim or not...

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