“There is no such thing as safe ice.” How do you help someone who has a ice cover from whom?

Nice weather certainly encouraged to leave the house. Perhaps the ice on Lake Okra in Drawsko Pomorskie seemed fat, but for a girl an afternoon walk in a second turned into an extremely dangerous situation. When she entered the frozen lake and the ice broke down, she fell straight into the ice water.

She stayed there for several dozen seconds. The situation looked dramatic, but fortunately it ended with fear. Three fire brigades participated in the action.

– The child managed to get out of the water without our intervention, the police and the emergency medical rescue team, who assisted the girl and stated that hospitalization was not needed – says young Capt. Michał Walkiewicz from the District Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Drawsko Pomorskie.

A dangerous incident on Lake Okra in Drawsko Pomorskie, which took place on Sunday, was registered by urban monitoring.

– We released this film as a warning to show that, however, this society must be educated all the time, reminding that at any time taking one step on ice can cause a very dangerous situation – indicates Maciej Kurowski, commander of the City Guard in Drawsko Pomorskie.

Read also: The children played on a frozen lake. Ice broke under one of them. Recording

Because not only the low temperature affects whether the ice is thick – the services warn.

– such a walker on ice is rather difficult to assess whether, for example, there is a source of hot water, some wastewater discharge, or if there is an influence of a stream that meanders somewhere at the shore and under this ice is just flowing – notes Apoloniusz Kurylczyk. from West Pomeranian WOPR.

The thickness of the ice cover may vary even on a small surface.

– It cannot be assumed that if there is quite a large thickness at the shore and keeps us, it will still be safe and this ice will not break under our weight. (…) There is no such thing as safe ice. He can always break down – warns Grzegorz Walijewski, an IMGW -PIB hydrologist.

An additional threat appears when it falls snow.

– The snow is wrong, we do not see the thickness of ice, we do not see where this ice could be previously caught by fishermen who come to fish. It is also a threat, because this ice may break down at any time – indicates Michał Walkiewicz.

Even if there are several people in the frozen water and it seems safe, there is never a guarantee that the additional load will not cause ice at some point.

The show prepared by Silesian firefighters illustrates how quickly you can find yourself in a life -threatening situation. Now it is particularly important, because holidays and large frost can encourage, for example, to skate, but the frozen tank is not a place for such entertainment.

– Of course, we must remember that this ice can always break down. If we want to use skating driving, choose prepared, protected, secured or artificial ice rinks for this – indicates Senior Brig. Roman Klecha, deputy of the Silesian Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service.

Because if the ice breaks under us, the rescuers do not reach immediately – and if there is no witnesses of the accident or are unable to help, the tragedy is already very close.

– In such conditions, heat loss is rapid. Within 15 to 20 minutes, such a man loses consciousness, then slides under water and tone – says Dr. Sylweriusz Kosiński from the Mountain Medicine Laboratory of the Jagiellonian University.

If we are the witnesses of the cracking under someone, first of all, let's call the services, calling the emergency number 112. To help, remember about our own safety, so that you don't need to help yourself in a moment.

– Find some long object, branch or maybe some sled with a string or a long scarf. To approach this person on all fours, the most flat, so that our weight on the ice, who has already broke down, so we know that his stability is poor, approach this person, but not approach the place where the ice broke down – indicates the brig. Jacek Jakóbczyk from the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Gdańsk.

Read also: The ice on the lake broke down, two anglers are dead. One of them was a fireman

Despite the appeals and educational activities of the services, fatal accidents occur every year. On Sunday, in Liciszewy in the Toruń poviat, ice broke under two anglers. The men died in the hospital.