y,Tod 8 Strachan a 7 “There isn’t much ice or- snow around. right. now.’ ‘There: hasn't. been all winter. ‘But that doesn't - mean ‘there hasn’t been a good: measure of outdoor recreation. A - number. of. small. lakes* near — ‘Terrace offer: something re- " sembling winter, and outdoor enthusiasis have’ found ‘most. of os them,” © What many of these enthusi- asts may. not have thought ‘of, - however, is safety. ‘Winter recre- ation on: frozen lakes and ponds : is a- ‘Canadian © tradition. But ° strictly. from.a safety point of. viéw, it’s. a risky tradition and ' during «a ‘winter like. the one Terrace is having this year, it. could be dangerous. - There have not been any ice- related tragedies in the area this winter — yet. But consider the, following. It’s ‘something: that”. _ might have happened, and. still could happen. . - A-father and his two. sons. - drive a few ‘miles north of Ter- - race one Sunday morning for a day of recreation at a small lake. They skate, play hockey, and around mid-day build a. small fire to cook a hot lunch. It looks. like a near-perfect day in the winter outdoors. ’ After lunch, the boys head out in search of anew challenge. It. ‘doesn’t take. long to ‘find, A couple of hundred feet south, there's a perfect hill for an inner _ : tube’ run.. Twice the boys speed down the hill, gliding toa stop nearly half — way across the small lake. Twice their” father cheers, each. time. encouraging the boys to beat their last mark. | - On the third run, the boys are - determined to impress their father. Fifty. feet back from the. top of the Slope they: begin: their” run at a new. record, In. perfect unison the © boys. leap “aboard “their craft, head down the slope, . and glide out onto the lake. For a third. time the father roots for his boys. They have good speed, He’s certain they'll make it.. But the scene changes from triumph to tragedy in the blink. of an eye. Water begins - forming. on top of the sagging ice; the inner tube loses speed much more ° rapidly than it “should. - The father watches. in helpless horror. Frightened, the youngest boy abandons the inner: tube with the intention of. running: ashore, The ice gives way in- stantly, dumping the boy into the - frigid water. His brother, ‘stil aboard the ‘tube, reaches out to help. The two lock finger tips and in an ~ instant: both boys are in the - water — well out of reach of the tube. But it doesn’t matter: "Volunteers train to | ‘sa ve the unlucky — ones who fall . through into. _teezing waters as” ~ the: “numbed body ‘of his youngest . ‘son slips: ‘beneath the surface. Lying flat on the ice, he Teaches for his oldest boy. The result is predictable. The next day’s headline tells of the tragic death of a father and his two sons. It was an, accident, the story reads. Ss Two things might come to : mind when reading this hypo- thetical.. faniily’ .misadventure. First, why were the father and his sons out there in the first place? The weather this year has - been far too warm to form stable ice on the lake surface, They- should have known better. And § second, why weren’t they res- cued? We have a very capabic and professional water rescue = ; team in the area. Both the above questions are valid, but- both miss the mark.of reality by a wide margin. True, professional ‘water rescue team in Terrace. And, in fact, most members of the loca! team, as Hypothermia sets.in quickly and- well as'‘a few, other northern, first the boys would soon-have lost their grip anyway. The father arrives at the scene ‘responders, learned valuable new ‘ice rescue skills during a recent training program in Terrace. FRAGILE FLOORING. Terrace Search and Rescue volunteer Tony Toriglia is carefully ~ dragged across what is being treated as a thin ice surface over a local lake by husband-and- wife SAR team Carla and Paul Kelly. Be a CHALENGE’92 EMPLOvER. HIRE A STUDENT. Under the Government of Canada’s ‘summeremployment program for students, organizations of all kinds are. .. eligible to apply for funding assistance =~ - that supports the creation of summer jobs. _ Apply now through your local Canada Employment ¢ Centre- listed _ APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED No. LATER THAN ManrcH B, 3 1992. under Employment and Immigration Canada in the blue pages of your _ telephone book. Become a Challenge 92 employer. ~ Its good for students, . employers and the - _ future of Canada. - Government of Canada Minister of State for Youth iy fo t du Canada Gouvernement . Ministre oEtat a ja Jeunesse G nad en 74 ~ we do have a very capable and Terrace Review — “ee February 19, 1992 it SCOURING THE DEPTHS. Terrace Search and Rescue volunteers Steve Kern (left) and Joe Mandur (centre), with underwater search instructor Mike Wylie. ; -Under the supervision of U.S. instructor Mike. Wylie of Dive Rescue International, 26:students -—~ 22 members of the Terrace Search and Rescue team, two ‘from the Terrace Fire Depart- - ment and two .Chetwynd paramedics —- became certified ' surface ice rescue technicians. In the three days during Jan- uaty, 17 Terrace divers were certified as underwater ice res- cue technicians. For those taking both courses, it was a total in- vestment of 40 hours of volun- teer time to safeguard the lives of others. But even with this training, there is a simple fact of life these dedicated volunteers must face: when it comes to ice res- cue, time is not in their favour. Hypothermia sets in quickly and. more often than not they will — serve as a body recovery team, not a rescue: team. , As for the weather, forget it. Ice, no matter what the weather, offers an unknown degree of risk. Most people use a simple rule of thumb: if it’s been 10 below zero for two weeks, the ice must be safe. There are a few things missing in this oversimplified formula, though. How deep is the water? Do you know? And how active is the water beneath the surface of the ice? Is ‘the water still, flowing, circulat- ing? Awareness of facts like these can mean the difference ; between life and death. _ > Ice near the shore might be five inches thick, at the centre of ‘the lake only one inch thick. ’ Bven near the shoreline a five inch thick sheet of ice may taper ’ off to deceptive and dangerous thinness only a few feet away. . The.action of a hidden creek or stream can create: a death trap, a _ 80 even staying close to “shore doesn’t. mean “you're safe. A child can drown in. only a few feet. of icy water... It doesn’t have to be over his head. = Mike Wylie has over 20 years of experience in, water rescue. When asked about the risk involved in venturing out on the frozen surface of a lake, he says __ the only way to be safe is to. stay off of the ice. te Most people who delight in ice-related outdoor recreation won’t do that, of course. At best. they will learn to weigh: the pleasure against the risk. And in — doing so, some might want to consider the methods used, in testing the safety of ice by the ‘Terrace Search and Rescue Water Rescue Team. v A team consists of no less than three members. The first dons full diving gear, a personal floa- tation device and a high impact plastic helmet. A tether line is attached to his gear, and the second member of the team tends the tether line from shore. The third member of the team is an observer. He monitors the situation, coordinates the activity as the ice is checked, and has the assigned duty of going | for help if anything goes wrong. It’s not likely you will go to - these extremes the next time you step out on a sheet of natural ice. You may, however, want to think hard about the hazards involved and consider everything you can do to minimize the risk. Because if you throw caution to the wind, and a metnber of your party: falis through, the ice,. you’re on your own. The time for careful planning | has. been lost. The odds of “survival are slim. Be “)