Deputy fire chief warns of thin ice dangers in central Indiana
BARGERSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — This week’s winter storm brought snowy and chilly conditions, but authorities want people to know it is not cold enough to venture onto ice over bodies of water in central Indiana.
Deputy Chief Michael Pruitt of Bargersville Fire Department said central Indiana does not regularly see the temperatures northern states get to make thick ice. “We see people up in the northern states, they’re riding their snowmobiles, they’re driving cars, they’re out fishing on these ponds and lakes. We’re not that lucky here, especially in central Indiana to have those types of conditions.”
“They go under those long periods of cold up there where they get that 20-inch freeze on ice. Ours thaws and freezes so often throughout the winter months it just never gets that chance to be stable and thick. It can change from being very thin at the shorelines to maybe a little thicker, and then right back to thin again. You just never know what you’re going to get in Indiana.”
The Bargersville Fire Department put out a warning post on Monday.
Pruitt said people going onto ice over bodies of water is a constant issue for his department.
“Every year between late December all the way up into February, we run into issues where these ponds look safe for recreational activities, and that’s not what they are designed for, but we have children and adults and animals that like to venture out onto these ponds, and what can happen is this ice is not formed up well and this ice is not thick and individuals can fall through.”
The deputy fire chief says to encourage anyone seen on ice over bodies of water in central Indiana to leave it immediately. Pruitt even recommended people call 911 to have the proper authorities remove anyone from the ice if necessary.
If people or pets fall through the ice, Pruitt said, resist the urge to go in after them and become a second victim. “We do not want you going out there and we know that’s hard.”
Instead, Pruitt recommends calling 911 and then throwing them something, maybe even a basketball, to help them float.