IRON COUNTY, MI— Iron County Sheriff Mark Valesano is telling residents to stay off lakes and rivers until the ice is safe.
He says with unseasonably warm temperatures ice has been slow to form, and thickness can vary on the same body of water due to currents and differing depths. Ice should be 5 inches thick to hold the weight of a person and 8 inches thick for snowmobiles and ORVs.
If someone falls through the ice, don’t go to the hole. Use a long object like a branch or pole to try to reach them. If you fall through, kick your feet and try to get your hands and arms on safer ice. Use ice picks or screwdrivers to get a grip, then swim up onto the ice and roll to safety. Also, if your pet has wandered onto dangerous ice, don’t follow. Stay where you are and coax them back to safety.
