Rules of conduct on ice.
Before the onset of stable frosts, water bodies are covered with ice, which is not very durable and easily breaks under human feet or under the weight of equipment. Bonded in the evening or night cold, it is still able to withstand a small load, but during the day it quickly heats up from the melt water seeping through it, it becomes porous and very weak, although it retains sufficient thickness. However, every year many people neglect safety precautions and go out on thin autumn ice, thereby putting their lives in mortal danger.
Formation of Ice:
As a rule, reservoirs freeze unevenly, in parts: first near the coast, in shallow water, in bays protected from the wind, and then in the middle.
On lakes, ponds (on all reservoirs with stagnant water, especially those where not a single stream flows, in which there is no bed of a bottom river, underwater springs), ice appears earlier than on rivers, where the current delays ice formation.
On the same body of water, one can find alternation of ice, which, with the same thickness, has different strength and carrying capacity.
THIS IS TO KNOW:
Ice at least 10 cm thick in fresh water and 15 cm thick in salt water is considered safe for humans.
In the mouths of rivers and channels, the strength of ice is weakened.
The ice is unstable in places of fast currents, gushing springs and runoff waters, as well as in areas where aquatic vegetation grows, near trees, bushes, and reeds.
If the air temperature is above 0 degrees for more than three days, then the strength of the ice is reduced by 25%.
Ice strength can be determined visually:
- blue ice - durable,
- white - its strength is 2 times less,
- dull white or yellowish - unreliable.
Rules of conduct on ice
:
Do not cross the pond on ice in prohibited areas.
Do not go out on the ice on motorcycles, cars outside the crossings.
Do not go out on thin ice at the beginning of winter (the ice breaks with a loud crunch, cracking) and at the beginning of spring (the ice breaks without cracking, water seeps quickly and fills the tracks).
At the beginning of winter, the middle of the reservoir is most dangerous. At the end of winter, coastal areas are dangerous, areas near drain pipes, under bridges.
In no case should you go out on the ice at night and in poor visibility (fog, snowfall, rain).
When crossing a river, use ice crossings.
You can not test the strength of the ice with a kick. Have a stick in your hands, feel the path in front of you. If after the first hard hit it will seem at least a little, or if the ice begins to crack - this means that the ice is thin, you can’t walk on it. In this case, you should carefully lie down and crawl back in your footsteps or follow your own footprint to the shore, with sliding steps, without taking your feet off the ice and spreading them shoulder-width apart so that the load is distributed over a large area. The same is done with the warning crackling of ice and the formation of cracks in it.
In the event of a forced crossing of a reservoir, it is safest to follow the beaten paths or go along the already laid ski track or along the trodden tracks and paths. But if they are not there, before going down to the ice, it is necessary to look around very carefully and outline the upcoming route.
Do not gather in groups on separate areas of ice. When crossing a reservoir in a group, it is necessary to maintain a distance from each other (5-6 m). Skip ahead to the most experienced.
It is better to cross a frozen river (lake) on skis, at the same time: unfasten the fasteners of the skis so that they can be quickly thrown off if necessary; ski poles hold in your hands, without throwing loops on your hands, so that in case of danger you immediately discard them.
If you have a backpack, hang it over one shoulder, this will allow you to easily get rid of the load in case the ice falls under you.
On a frozen pond, you must take with you a strong cord 20 - 25 meters long with a large deaf loop at the end and a load. The load will help to throw the cord to a comrade who has fallen into the water, the loop is needed so that the victim can hold on more securely by threading her armpits.
Parents! Do not let children go on the ice (fishing, skiing and skating) without supervision!
One of the most common causes of tragedies on reservoirs is alcohol intoxication. People react inadequately to danger and become helpless in the event of an emergency.
What to do if you fall into cold water:
Do not panic, do not make sudden movements, do not dive or wet your head, stabilize your breathing.
Stick to the edge of the ice.
Call for help: "Drown!"
Get out on the side of the ice where you came from.
Spread your arms to the sides and try to catch on to the edge of the ice, giving the body a horizontal position in the direction of the current.
Push your body onto the ice, helping with your legs, leaning on your arms bent at the elbows.
If the ice breaks, still do not give up trying to get out.
Try to carefully put your chest on the edge of the ice and throw one and then the other leg on the ice. If the ice holds, rolling slowly crawl towards the shore.
Crawl in the direction you came from - the ice here has already been tested for strength. Crawl back 2-3 meters, stand up and go to the nearest housing. You can only rest in a warm room.
If a person has fallen into a hole:
Ask someone to call " ambulance” and rescuers or call them yourself by cell phone “112”.
Arm yourself with any long stick, plank, pole or rope, or long scarf. You can knit together scarves, belts or clothes.
Tie a knot at the end of the rope.
Try to approach the opening by following the tracks, for the last 10-15 meters crawl, spreading your arms and legs wide apart and pushing rescue equipment in front of you, carefully move towards the opening.
Stop a few meters from a person in the water, throw him a rope, an edge of clothing, give a stick or pole.(Remember! Do not wind the rope around your hand - the victim can pull you into the hole.)
Carefully pull the victim onto the ice, and crawl out of the danger zone together. Crawl in the direction you came from.
Take the victim to a warm place. Give him first aid before the doctors arrive: take off his wet clothes, vigorously rub the body (until the skin turns red) with a cloth or hands soaked in alcohol or vodka, give the victim hot tea to drink. Never give alcohol to the victim - in such cases, this can lead to lethal outcome.
Call an ambulance.
Cross water bodies in specially equipped places.
When crossing outside the crossings, outline the route and carefully check the strength of the ice with a pick or a stake when moving.
Do not come close to frozen objects and vegetation, bridges and dams - the ice is thinner in these areas.
Be careful in places with fast currents, at the confluence of rivers, at the confluence of streams and wastewater from industrial enterprises.
Go around places covered with a thick layer of snow” and dark spots on the snow cover.
Do not go out on the ice alone if it is not strong enough.
When crossing in groups, keep a distance of 5-6 meters.
When crossing the reservoir on skis, unfasten the bindings, remove the stick loops from your hands and the backpack strap from one shoulder.
Once on thin, crackling ice, don't get lost.
Carefully turn back and with sliding steps return along the path to the shore.
Going on a winter fishing trip, do not forget to take the simplest life-saving equipment with you. Punch holes at a safe distance from each other. Do not gather on the ice in large groups.
Crossing water bodies on fragile ice, at night, in inclement weather, in untested and little-known places;
Skate, sled and ski, start games on fragile, loose ice;
Check the strength of the ice with a kick;
Stop at steep banks during floods and icebreakers, approach places of ice jam; move by horse-drawn transport outside specially equipped crossings;
Go ice fishing before the establishment of a solid freeze-up and during the period of intensive melting and destruction of ice;
Play games and ride on ice floes during the ice drift.
Rules of conduct on the water
Start swimming in sunny, calm weather, at a water temperature of 18-20°C, air temperature of 20-25°C.
Choose safe places for swimming, and preferably places specially designated for this.
If you know how to swim, do not go into the water above the waist.
While swimming, do not bring yourself to chills. Remember that prolonged exposure to water can lead to muscle spasms and other negative effects.
Do not swim on an empty stomach and earlier than 1.5-2 hours after eating.
Do not enter or dive into the water in an excited, overheated state, after physical activity, also with chills, general malaise.
Do not leave children near ponds and on the water without adult supervision.
Once in a strong current, do not swim against it, but use the current to get closer to the shore.
Once in the whirlpool, do not get lost, get more air into your lungs, dive into the water and, making a jerk to the side with the flow, float to the surface.
For cramps, change the way you swim to reduce stress on the contracted muscles, accelerate their relaxation and swim to the shore
IT IS FORBIDDEN:
Swimming and diving in prohibited and unknown places;
Jump into the water from dams, piers, boats, boats, rafts, swim close to passing ships;
To allow pranks associated with diving and seizing the limbs of swimmers, climbing buoys and other technical structures;
? “give false distress signals;
Move in a boat from place to place when riding;
Use boards, logs, air mattresses, car cameras and other aids for swimming;
Contaminate and litter waterways
Be careful on water and ice
MEMO FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN
GUYS! Some of you do not like to famously ride on skates on a mirror-like ice surface. You love to drive the puck on the ice, to drive off the steep bank in a whirlwind on sleds or skis. During the breakup of ice, you often find yourself on the banks of water bodies. Some of you are trying to ride on an ice floe or jump from one to another.
With the onset of summer holidays on warm, fine days, you bathe in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Some of you, often because of boasting, try to swim away from the coast and do not always calculate your strength. You want to jump into the water from a tree, a steep bank, a bridge, etc. But not all of you know that recklessness on water and ice can end tragically.
The Society of the Strong, Courageous and Courageous sets as its noble task not only the salvation of the drowning, but also the explanation of the rules of behavior on water and ice.
1. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FREEZING
Freeze is the time when rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs are covered with ice. At first, the water near the coast freezes, and gradually, with the intensification of frost, the entire surface of the reservoir is covered with ice. During this period, some of you begin to try out the ice.
GUYS! Remember that after the first frosts, the ice is still thin and fragile. Do not go out on him when he bends and crackles, do not move out on a sled. Do not ride in places where there are fast currents and springs, where enterprises dump warm water, near bridges, dams and various frozen objects. There the ice is weak throughout the winter. Therefore, these places are dangerous not only for skiing, but also for crossing. Beware of holes! Before you go out on the ice, carefully inspect its surface. Choose places for games in shallow water with a strong ice cover.
In the event of an accident with your comrade on the ice, help him immediately. Give the person in distress a stick, a board, a rope, tied belts, clothes. Approach the place of failure by crawling, so as not to fail yourself. Call for help from adults.
BE CAREFUL ON THE ICE!
2. SPRING FLOOD. ICE DRIFT. FLOOD
The sun is shining brighter. The warm breath of spring is felt more and more. The snow darkened and lost its whiteness, the first thawed patches appeared. Streams are already running through the streets. Melt waters fill reservoirs. The water level in them is steadily rising - the spring flood begins. The accumulated water breaks the ice - ice drift and floods begin (the flood of the river from the opening of the ice).
GUYS! Remember that playing on ice at this time, boating, rafting during ice drift and floods are life-threatening. To avoid an accident, do not stand on steep banks that are subject to erosion and collapse. When assisting a person in distress, use a boat, a life buoy, a rope.
3. LEARN TO SWIM AND RIGHT ON THE WATER
The last bell rang. The long-awaited time of summer holidays has come. Many of you will rest on the shores of the seas, rivers, lakes. But do all of you know how to behave properly on the water? Read our sonnets, memorize them and follow them.
1. Choose for swimming only obviously safe or specially designated places for this (with a gently sloping clean bottom, a slight current).
2. Do not swim immediately after eating, wait an hour and a half.
3. Do not go into the water hot, rest before swimming.
4. If you have not yet learned to swim or swim poorly, do not go into the water deeper than the waist. Swim along the shore or towards it.
5. Do not swim with a big wave and do not jump into the water in unfamiliar places where you do not know the depth and where there may be stones, snags, iron bars, the remains of piles, etc.
6. Avoid hypothermia and overwork in the water (this can lead to convulsions and loss of consciousness), calculate your strength swap.
7. Do not get lost in cramps. Change the way you swim (preferably backstroke). Try to stretch the cramped muscles, do not make sudden movements.
8. Once in a strong current, do not swim against it. Use the current to get closer to the shore.
9. Once in a whirlpool, do not get lost. Take a deep breath, fill your lungs with more air, dive into the water, make a strong jerk to the side with the flow and float to the surface.
10. Do not swim beyond the warning signs and away from the shore.
11. Do not swim on air mattresses, autocameras, boards, homemade rafts.
12. Don't swim close to passing ships: you may be pulled under the propeller.
13. Do not allow rough pranks on the water. Do not give false distress signals.
14. Do not overload the boats, do not rock them afloat, do not jump from them into the water.
GUYS! LEARN TO SWIM! BE CAREFUL ON THE WATER!
Winter fishing for many winterers is not just a hobby, but a life credo. Many actions of seasoned anglers are automated, including walking on ice, avoiding dangerous areas and behavior on the ice surface. However, year after year, accidents still occur, and some are fatal. The rules of behavior on the ice are the same for all people, no matter if they are anglers or just out for a walk. Safety on the ice is not just about failing. In addition to falling through, there are other hazards in ice fishing.
Safe winter fishing - what you should always remember
Safety rules on the ice in time are not taken from the head just like that - they are written on the grief and misfortunes of people who have already found themselves in dangerous situations or did not survive. Water safety in winter period is a complex concept. Low ice strength is not the only dangerous factor. Ice safety should be “contained” in the subcortex of every winter angler. Rules safe behavior on the ice at one fine moment will not only help to solve a difficult situation, but will allow you to survive in an emergency. In winter, the rules of behavior on ice will help to avoid the following troubles:
- Falling through, which can lead to both banal wetting and a cold, and death.
- Burning to death in a winter tent from the combustion products of the stove.
- Hypothermia, freezing.
- Fall on slippery surfaces, bruises.
- The possibility of getting lost (in bad weather, on large bodies of water or in a state of intoxication), at best - to lose time, at worst - to freeze.
falling through
Safe behavior on the ice in winter is not only the correct movement on the solid surface of the reservoir. Danger may come from outside. But let's start the review with the most obvious danger - cold water under the ice. You can both drown in it and get fatal hypothermia. When can I go out on the ice for winter fishing?
The safe ice thickness for fishing is generally 7-10 cm. As you know, anglers manage to walk on the ice almost immediately after it has risen, and has not grown more than 5 cm. Such movement on the ice can be dangerous. There is a caveat among experienced anglers - you can’t go out if the ice breaks through with a pick with one average force of impact. Naturally, the Ministry of Emergency Situations tightens such indicators. A person of small mass can carefully walk along a 3-cm strong cover, while the surface will sag under the weight and crackle. In this matter, it is better not to tempt fate and wait for normal thickness. In addition to thickness, an important factor is strength. The strength of ice can be determined by a number of features. Usually fresh, transparent ice of the first ice is strong, and melting in spring is weak. Safe ice thickness for fishing (per person weighing 100 kg) is 7-10 cm or more. Even in such favorable conditions, safety requirements must be observed. If the layer is thinner - then even more so. What kind of ice is completely safe for fishing?
Safe Ice
Safe Ice
What kind of ice can you go fishing on? The officially permissible ice thickness for a group of people to move on it must be at least 10 cm when fishing. This is drawn on safety posters. The minimum ice thickness for fishing is 3-5 cm, depending on the reservoir, at your own peril and risk. You need to walk on this very carefully, according to all the rules (more on that below). Going to depths over 1.5 meters and far from the coast is not recommended. 10 cm can withstand a person weighing 100 kg and allow the movement of a group of people.
Ice thickness table for safe movement:
At what temperature does ice form on a pond?
The process of growth of the shell on water bodies with the course, large reservoirs, lakes with springs is much slower. The ice shell binds fast rivers and deep lakes last. The picture is only approximate data applicable, for example, to a small closed pond.
The durable surface is usually transparent, with a bluish or greenish tint. Turbidity, bubbles, yellowness are signs of a fragile ice shell. A good layer freezes in quiet frosty weather. The freezing layer can be covered with snow, which sticks together with water into a single white mass. Such a surface is fragile and fragile.
Safety on poor ice cover
Anglers are looking forward to the moment of formation of the first ice. The most desperate take to the ice as soon as it becomes, neglecting safety requirements. The first ice is dangerous, first of all, because of its small thickness. official rule behavior on thin ice one thing - do not go to him. When you get into such conditions, you must strictly follow all the recommendations of safety and behavior.
It is impossible to determine the thickness of the ice by color from the first ice - it is thin and transparent. If it breaks through with a single blow, it is better not to move far from the coast, but to sit next to the coastal bushes. At depth, the ice strengthens later, so going to the middle of the reservoir is dangerous. Safety on a thin ice cover is the first priority for an angler who enters a reservoir in such conditions. Every second you need to be internally ready to go under water, and react confidently and quickly. The state of the ice layer in different reservoirs can vary due to many factors - the strength of the current, wind, water composition, and the presence of springs. Therefore, a good cover over there on that pond is not a reason to go to a large reservoir, where waves were walking yesterday.
A sign of the strength of ice and its safety is transparency, the absence of cracks and bubbles, crackling and punching when walking. On a thin cover, each step should be preceded by a test blow with an ice pick or a stick. It is absolutely impossible to test strength by stamping your foot and bouncing! A backpack and a box are hung on one shoulder so that they can be thrown off when falling through.
How to move on thin ice if it began to crack and bend? First of all, stop and look around. If the deflection occurs right before your eyes, you need to immediately lie down, as softly and smoothly as possible, without hitting the surface with weight. Then you need to crawl back in your footsteps. If everything is not so fatal - you just need to go back in your footsteps with smooth sliding steps, without taking your legs off. In general, it is better to stick to the beaten paths and always walk along them. Potentially dangerous places:
- The middle of the reservoir, great depths, channel flow.
- The junction of the forward and reverse flows.
- Mouths of rivers and streams.
- Directly on the coast.
- In the thickets of reeds.
- Near objects frozen in water.
- Places for draining sewerage and waste.
- Narrow channels flowing, rapids between islands.
- At the edges and gullies.
- Water areas with frequent changes in water level and navigation. Such a place can play a cruel joke - the fisherman will simply be cut off from the exit by a passing vessel, torn off on an ice floe from the main massif and carried into the sea.
- Swamps and bogs are the most dangerous places. The escaping warm gas can make the outwardly normal and hard cover weak and thin.
Avoid first ice covered with snow - it may just be crust, and under it - a ravine. It is not necessary in a group to come close to each other, to gather together. You need to move in single file, no closer than 5-7 meters from each other. Each person should have a special lifeline on a rope, fastened conveniently on the chest for quick use. It is desirable to have a rope with a load so that you can quickly throw it to the failed. It is impossible to drill many holes at once - such perforation will weaken an already unreliable surface.
Loose spring ice is also dangerous. It is visually difficult to assess the state of ice in spring, usually everything is covered with snow. The way out is to stick to the path, check untrodden places at every step, bypass dark, yellow areas, cracks and hummocks.
How to walk on a frozen body of water
Safety measures on ice imply certain rules and recommendations for being on it and moving. In addition to the danger of failure, on a slippery surface, you can simply fall and injure something, break bones or break your head. This is especially true for large older anglers. How to walk on ice without falling? The following safety precautions on the ice will help prevent injury:
- Wear shoes with non-slip soles or spikes.
- Do not make sudden movements, keep your balance and pay attention to every step.
- Do not shift weight quickly. First, the leg is placed, then the weight is transferred to it, smoothly and measuredly. The knees are bent, the torso is relaxed, ready to fall.
- In the event of a fall, it is important to group correctly, fall on your side, back or on the half-bent arms extended forward, extinguishing the speed with them. It is important to control the position of the head in order to protect it from impact. Fall safety is practiced as a physical exercise.
The very process of being on a winter pond is an event of increased danger. Usually all winter roads fulfill the requirements on an instinctive level. For beginners, it is useful to study the rules of safe behavior on ice:
- The well-trodden paths are the least dangerous sections, as it is clearly seen that a lot of people have passed along them.
- Do not test strength by jumping or kicking. You need to do this with a stick, pole or ice pick.
- If you notice crackling, fountains of water from cracks, sagging, yellowish color or wet spots on the snow, you should go around this place (or crawl back if you have already gone too far).
- You should not move in a crowd and chaotically, close to each other. The best option is in single file at a distance of at least 5 meters.
- When skiing, the bindings must be unfastened so that they can be thrown off when falling through.
- The backpack and all belongings are worn on one shoulder or with relaxed straps, for the ability to quickly get rid of the load - an important condition for the safety of movement.
- It is strongly not recommended to go to the pond without special lifeguards, spikes with handles. These safety devices should be located on the chest so that they can be used quickly in an emergency. In the first ice or spring it is better to go fishing in a special waterproof float suit. It will protect against hypothermia and drowning when falling through. If there is no float, then you need to wear at least a life jacket.
- The presence of someone in the group of a rope 10-20 meters long with a cat or a load at the end.
- If it is necessary to overcome a potentially dangerous area, do not do this alone - only with a second person, with a rope or pole for safety. Naturally, with a group movement, such a place is overcome in turn.
- You can not fish or walk near the edges, gullies and polynyas, cracks, hummocks and failures.
How to get out if you fell through the ice
If you fall through the ice, the main thing is not to lose your temper and not to panic. It is panic and wrong actions that are the main reasons deaths. In 99% of cases, you can get out, even if you have big weight and poor physical condition. A person under the ice will receive hypothermia in a few minutes, as a result of which mobility will decrease, and he will no longer be able to get out on his own. Therefore, you need to act quickly - 3 minutes. It is important to follow certain rules of behavior for a person who has fallen through the ice. These ice rescue rules have been worked out by many cases on water bodies. The probability of a successful outcome and safety is also affected by the availability of rescue equipment on ice - lifeguards, ropes, poles, and a belayer. Modern society is such that in case of failure they can film you on the phone and give advice, but they themselves will not climb. You need to rely only on yourself. If they help, of course it’s good, it will facilitate the process.
How to help a person who has fallen into the water
The rescue of a failed person is based on the above safety principles. The main thing is not to get into the water of the lifeguard himself. First, notify the drowning person that help is coming to him. Encourage him, make him calm down and stop panicking, twitching and wasting energy in vain. If there is a long rope, then it must be thrown from a safe distance to a person. But often there is no rope with you. The longest item is a drill and ropes from drag sleds. You can use them by linking them together. You can only get to the place of the break while lying down, it is better to take a lifeguard or a knife with you. During the process, constantly communicate with the victim, instruct him. When he grabs the drill (rope), pull it out, having previously secured it with a knife, spikes or lifeguards to the surface. To facilitate the process, the victim needs to throw a vest, lifejackets, etc. into the water. - what is possible.
Hypothermia safety
Further, first aid on ice (for yourself or the victim) does not end. The main danger is hypothermia, hypothermia. It is necessary to immediately remove the outer clothing and wring it out. You need to stand with bare feet not on the snow, but, for example, in a sled. If there is no shift, then put on, first of all, woolen products or high-quality thermal underwear. These items are warm even when wet. You have to keep moving. First aid to someone who has fallen through the ice can save his life. And if it's -30 outside and there are several kilometers to a warm shelter (car)? If you have a hot drink, drink it. Alcohol should not be consumed (only after the final warming and changing clothes). In the presence of good dry clean snow, you can rub it (for people with a normal level of hardening and physical form). With hypothermia, the chills begin to stop, the pulse slows down, arterial pressure falls. This happens when the body temperature drops to 30 degrees. After that, freezing begins, which can lead to death. Far from the car - run run. The main thing is not to stop.
Fire safety measures in winter fishing tent
Every year this sad statistic is replenished with new cases. Guilt is personal carelessness. You can not stay in a cheap non-breathing tent with a stove or gas burner with the door closed. It is always important to think over the removal of the combustion products of the stove to the outside through the chimney when spending the night in a tent. Even from candles in a tightly closed cheap Chinese tent, after a while your head starts to hurt - the first sign of a lack of oxygen and carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide poisoning. The basic rules of behavior on ice in winter do not address this issue, but in vain. Deaths are repeated among night fishermen year after year. A person just falls asleep and does not wake up. If you have any doubts about the security in a nearby tent, it is better to take a look. Maybe it will save someone's life.
Behavior and safety in case of loss of orientation on the ground
On large bodies of water, distant objects on the shore act as landmarks. When a snowfall and a blizzard begins, they are not visible, the traces are covered. Therefore, it is important not to lose the sense of space and security. It is good if there is a compass or a navigator. When there are no means of navigation with you, you need to go so as not to freeze, drink hot, eat. You can’t fall into a snowdrift and fall asleep - this will only lead to freezing. Therefore, it is better to take care of geography in advance, before leaving, ensuring your safety.
As soon as winter sets in, most children, and even some adults, look forward to the ice freezing on the reservoirs. This, of course, is a good opportunity to go ice skating, go ice fishing, but do not forget about safety on the ice during this period. We will get acquainted with the main rules in our article.
Ice formation
With the onset of frosty weather, you should not count on an instant covering of water bodies with ice. This process is lengthy and depends on many factors. It usually begins in November and continues until the New Year. It all depends on the weather conditions, which are different every year.
At low temperatures at night, ice forms, but under the rays of the sun during the day, it begins to become porous from the water that seeps through it. At the same time, the thickness may already be decent, but it cannot be called reliable, so it is important to observe safety measures on ice.
Usually, the freezing of reservoirs occurs unequally over the entire area, first of all, freezing begins in shallow water, along the banks, and then the ice fetters the middle. On different water bodies, this process proceeds at different speeds, for example, on rivers, ice forms more slowly, since this process is hindered by the current. Even on the same reservoir in its different parts, the ice can be of unequal thickness.
Saving life on ice
Almost every year there are situations when the most impatient lovers of ice fishing or ice skating find themselves in a dangerous position, finding themselves in icy water. And all because the thickness of the ice is not taken into account.
Such amateurs first of all need to study the safety measures on the ice in the winter, and only then go to the reservoir. The most important rule: if you are not sure about the strength of the ice, do not step on it. Sometimes a person begins to understand his mistake, having already found himself on thin ice, in this case, one should try to carefully return in his footsteps.
The snow that lies on top makes it difficult to assess the strength of the ice. Moving, you may not see that the cracks have gone, but it’s impossible not to hear the crunch, so when it appears, you should stop moving and go back.
Safe Ice
No safety technique will help on ice if it is not thick enough. The ice cover must withstand the load that will act on it.
Even if you are sure that the reservoir is well frozen, safety measures on the ice in the winter will not be superfluous.
treacherous ice
Specialists even in appearance ice can determine its reliability. More dangerous, and, therefore, thin is considered yellowish or dull white ice. Most often, it has a porous structure, so it cannot be considered reliable.
You need to know: if the temperature does not drop below zero degrees for several days, the strength is reduced by 25%. The thinnest ice occurs even in frosty weather near thickets of reeds, shrubs or trees that grow along the banks.
Particular care must be taken near the ice holes - they can become completely invisible if they are covered with a little snow.
How to make sure the ice is reliable
Finding out whether the ice is strong or not is sometimes possible only by stepping on it. If, after a few steps, small radial cracks are visible and a slight crunch is heard, then in principle you can walk on it, but observe the safety of behavior on ice.
Testing the strength of the ice by jumping on it or stamping your feet is not prudent at all. If, after checking, water protruding from above the ice is found, it is better not to cross in this place. Safety on thin ice must be paramount. You can never predict where you can fall into the icy water.
It is better to go back to prevent an accident, carefully stepping in your own footsteps and not raising your legs high. In the event of a strong crackling, it is better to crawl.
Rules of conduct on ice
In winter, it is imperative to observe safety on the ice. To do this, you must adhere to the following rules:
Sometimes the desire to skate on the newly formed ice, to play hockey is stronger than the feeling of danger, which is why unforeseen situations happen. Safety on the ice is especially important for children who look forward to winter.
for children
Most children look forward to the winter with great impatience to ride on sleds, skates, play hockey, so very often kids neglect all safety rules. Parents have a great responsibility for the health and preservation of the life of the child, so they are obliged to tell their children about safety on the ice in the winter.
On ice, it is studied at schools in the lessons of life safety, before each vacation, class teachers must conduct the appropriate briefing.
First aid on ice
Everyone can find themselves in ice water in winter, so you need to know how to help your friend. Here are the main recommendations:
It is very important that the comrades do not lose their heads in such a situation and, instead of running away in different directions, help their friend.
What to do if you fall through the ice
Often there are situations when a person goes alone to a frozen pond and a tragedy happens: under the fallen snow, an ice hole is not seen, and now the icy water opens its arms. What to do in this case? Here is the algorithm of actions:
Safety on the ice must always be in the first place, under no circumstances should one lose vigilance.
Got to the beach: what's next?
The most important thing after liberation from ice captivity is to warm up faster, so you need to get to a warm room as soon as possible. If you are far from home, you can take advantage of the hospitality of the residents of the neighboring village. If you are very far from settlements, you should always have a set of dry clothes in your backpack, which can save you in such a situation.
At the second stage, it is important to warm yourself from the inside, and in this case you cannot do without a hot drink, so you will have to go home as soon as possible, preferably by running.
Whatever the weather on a winter day, you should not take risks and go to the pond alone. It is especially dangerous to do this with the onset of the first spring days, when the ice begins to melt, becomes loose and fragile.
Behavior on water bodies in the autumn-winter period
To prevent on water bodies in winter and late autumn some rules of conduct must be followed. They are quite simple, but can save a human life:
- No need to rush with the appearance of the first ice cover to go to the reservoir.
- Ice becomes reliable only with the advent of stable low temperatures.
- It is quite dangerous to go down on the ice in unfamiliar places, especially in the thaw.
- It is better not to cross the reservoir in places with a large layer of snow, under it the thickness of the ice is always less than in the open.
- You should not risk your life by going on the ice at night, and even alone.
- Play sports winter Games better on specially equipped rinks to be sure of the reliability of the ice.
- It is dangerous to use ice for crossing during spring floods.
Compliance with these simple rules can save a life.
Quite often you can see fishermen who sit on the ice with a fishing rod, and around the thawed patches and polynya, especially in early spring and during thaws. The desire to catch a good fish makes you despise the dangers, but in vain. There are many cases when rescuers had to release unfortunate fishermen from ice captivity. And to prevent this from happening, all you need to do is follow some rules:
Only by following these simple rules can you be sure that winter fishing will end happily.
Winter is good! There is an opportunity to go in for winter sports, plenty of sledding and skating, but you should not neglect the safety rules, especially on frozen ponds. And it is important that not only the safety of children on the ice is ensured, but adults themselves do not forget about caution.
Ice safety for children is very important. With the arrival of the first frosts, as well as with the onset of heat in spring, the number of accidents in open water increases dramatically, especially among children who disdainfully treat all the rules of behavior in the danger zone. Ice is no less a threat in winter, as thaws can occur.
In winter, when the roads are icy and everything around freezes, many people try to shorten their path, so sometimes they choose unsafe paths. Walking on a frozen river is a habit for many people. But when an adult passes through such an unsafe area, he knows what the rules of behavior are in case of an unforeseen situation. Another story is when a child is on the ice. Therefore, parents should inform their children about when you can step on the ice, and when you should not do this, and how to behave if you fell through and fell into cold water.
First of all, you should not walk on a frozen body of water unless absolutely necessary. But if the child gets on the ice, he must step carefully, checking the strength of the frozen water, knocking on it with a stick, and not with his feet. In the event that the ice begins to crack, you should return. You need to return in your own footsteps.
If the surface of the frozen water is not covered with snow, then with a small thickness of ice at the moment the load is applied to it, you can notice how cracks radiate from the legs in different directions. Additionally, the child will hear a sound reminiscent of the crackling of a breaking dry tree.
Walking on a pond that is covered with snow is extremely dangerous. There may be gaps under the snow.
According to safety standards, it is recommended to cross the reservoir only if the thickness of the ice exceeds 7 cm, and its color has a greenish tint. The absence of air bubbles and transparency are an indicator of reliability. As for the areas for skating, the thickness should be at least 12 cm. If a mass gathering of people is expected at the rink, then the recommended width is 25 cm.
Milky or white ice, which is formed as a result of pressing and freezing between snowflakes, is considered the most dangerous, as it can crack without a preliminary sound. It is also 2 times weaker than ordinary frozen water. In winter, when thaws occur, and then frosts come again, melted and then re-frozen water is considered the most durable. The ice layer on such a reservoir acquires a matte color with a yellow tint.
Safety precautions for behavior on ice in winter also mean that you can only go out on a frozen body of water during daylight hours. This makes it possible to soberly assess the state of strength of the frozen area and, if necessary, simplifies rescue operations.
What to do if you fall through the ice?
The ice safety rules for children clearly describe what the body of water should be like so that you can safely move around it. But no one is immune from mistakes. Therefore, parents should explain what to do to the child if the ice does not hold.
First of all, if there is a strong crack, you should not turn around sharply and run in the opposite direction. The integrity of even a thick layer of ice has already been broken, and at any moment it can become a trap, and not a crossing or a place for entertainment. You need to take a step back, that is, remove the leg, under which a strong crack was heard, and lie on your stomach. In this case, the hands should be spread apart to minimize the load on the surface. Then you will have to move by crawling or rolling in the direction from which you came.
