Stay Safe and Stay Off the Ice this Winter

It may seem like a fun idea to venture out onto an icy, frozen body of water for some impromptu ice skating, but the truth is, it could be deadly.

We see it in movies all the time. There is a wintery scene with a frozen lake or pond and the characters are all bundled up to head out on the ice. The reality is that this is actually incredibly dangerous in real life. It is nearly impossible for the average person to tell how deep the ice is frozen, making it a dangerous gamble to head out onto the ice. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Ice Fishing Safety, it requires four inches of clear, frozen ice to support the weight of an average person. Clear meaning that the ice is frozen so much that it looks like an ice cube out of your freezer. It is imperative that we warn children and teens of the danger of treading on frozen lakes and ponds and remind them that if they want to go ice skating, that we have a perfectly good ice rink in town.