After a 13-year-old boy died in an icy lake yesterday, the Reno Fire Department is reminding the public to be safe around ice.
Under no circumstances should residents attempt to walk or drive on rivers, lakes, ponds or any other body of water that is iced over, said the Reno Fire Department in a statement issued today.
“We’re asking people to stay off the ice, period,” said Tim Spencer, division chief and emergency manager with the department. “Parents need to communicate with their children that when they are outside playing, avoid the ice. Even though we’re in the middle of winter and people expect the ice to be thick, because of the recent warmer temperatures, the ice is thinner and more dangerous.”
The department responded to separate ice rescue incidents today and yesterday. A 12-year-old boy was safely rescued from a pond at Teglia’s Paradise Park earlier today.
Sadly, a 13-year-old boy died Thursday at Renown after he and two other boys fell through the ice of a south Reno lake earlier that day.
Earlier today, City of Reno maintenance workers put up signs in local parks warning people to stay off the ice.
The department recommends the following:
- If you witness someone fall through the ice, call 9-1-1. Instead of putting yourself in danger by trying to reach the victim, assist them from the shore by reassuring them help is on the way and extend objects like a rope, branch, or ladder to them if it’s safe to do so.
- If a person falls in the water, they have about one minute to control their breathing to stand a chance of survival. They will have less than 10 minutes of purposeful muscle movement which includes any chance of them grasping a thrown or extended object to assist with rescue.
- The victim in the water will lose body heat at a rate 25 to 32 times faster than in air. Unconsciousness from hypothermia may occur in as little as seven minutes. This may occur faster in smaller-framed individuals such as children.
- Recognize that ice will never be completely safe. Conditions and unseen or unknown factors can render seemingly safe ice suddenly dangerous.
- Ice is generally thinner where there is moving water, such as inlets and outlets, bridge abutments, islands, and objects that protrude through the ice.
The fire department has a Water Entry Team made up of 28 Swift Water Rescue and Ice Rescue Technicians. The team responds to an average of 45 calls for service annually. They train monthly on water and ice rescue skills to maintain proficiency.
