Test Your Knowledge: Ice Safety

Winter months bring frozen bodies of water, and many enjoyable activities can be done on the frozen water. However, frozen water can be deceiving and can turn into a very dangerous situation quickly.

"There have been several recent incidents of people venturing out onto frozen lakes or ponds, and it is very concerning to us," said Carol Henke, public information officer, Calgary Fire Department. "Because we have extreme temperature fluctuations in Calgary, ice conditions can be quite dangerous." The Calgary Fire Department offers some tips regarding ice safety. How much do you know?

Answers are below the icy photo

1. Where are the best locations for outdoor skating?
a. Any pond
b. City of Calgary lagoons
c. The Bow River
d. Any lake

2. When out walking you should keep a safe distance from river banks and lake shores.
a. True
b. False

3. If a person or animal falls through the ice what should you do?
a. Rescue them
b. Call the non-emergency line
c. Jump in after them
d. Call 9-1-1

4. You should always walk on any ice-covered lake, ponds or rivers.
a. True
b. False

5. If you happen to fall through the ice what should you do?
a. Keep your hands on the ice shelf
b. Control your breathing
c. Pull yourself up on the ice onto your stomach and roll towards shore
d. All of the above

6. If you can't get out of the water in 10 minutes what should you do?
a. Stop kicking and trying to pull yourself up, anchor yourself to the ice shelf and call for help
b. Keep trying
c. Stop for 5 minutes and try again
d. Tread water

7. When getting out of the water, what is the next step?
a. Walk to shore
b. Lay there until help arrives
c. Roll to shore
d. Crawl to shore

8. If you are on shore what assistance can you give someone who does get out of the water?
a. Tell them to stay calm, help is on the way
b. Tell them to roll to shore
c. Throw a rope or a branch to them to help
d. All of the above

9. What is the most important thing to do if you fall into the water?
a. Stay calm, trying to keep your head out of the water
b. Splash around
c. Yell at the top of your lungs
d. Control your breathing

10. If the ice looks like it is thick it is safe to go on the lake, pond or river.
a. True
b. False

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