By Veronica Beltran

stay safe and have fun this winter

Lake safety this winter

Dec 20, 2019 | 3:25 PM

PRINCE GEORGE–Before you hit the ice this winter, make sure you know how to stay safe.

It is not news that northerners love the outdoors and that the cold, snowy and icy weather doesn’t keep anyone from heading outside. But there are certain things you should know before heading out to a lake to play.

“We are looking for that four inches of ice to really be safe out there, and enjoy the winter sports out on our lakes,” said PG Search and Rescue Manager, Dave Merritt. Once a thick layer of 6-8 inches has frozen over, snowmobiles are deemed safe to take out onto the ice.

Merrit says that an ice auger is a great tool to use to find out how thick the ice really is, that or keep up on Facebook groups where locals post about local lake ice thickness.

To stay safe Merritt mentions packing a warm blanket and a rope when you head out to a lake could help if someone was to fall through thin ice.

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And if you do fall through thin ice, what should you do? Merritt says to stay calm, bring your elbows out and over the edge of the ice and kick with your feet to lift yourself onto the ice. Once you’ve pulled yourself back out, crawl or slide away from the hole, standing could cause you to slip through the ice again.