Attention! Thin ice!

The cold weather has come, the rivers are beginning to be covered with ice. One of the natural dangers that lie in wait for a person in the autumn-winter-spring period on reservoirs is thin ice.

Anyone can get into an emergency situation related to ice: fishing, hunting, hiking, walking. Ice on reservoirs is especially dangerous in autumn and spring. The strength of the ice depends on the air temperature. In the morning and in the afternoon it is not as durable as in the evening. Ice is especially dangerous during a thaw.

Everyone should think carefully about whether it is worth going to the ice without checking its strength. The strength of the ice is checked by a foot strike. If the ice breaks through and water appears on it, you need to stop immediately and go back in your tracks. If the ice has cracks, its surface is flooded with water, then it is better not to go down on such ice at all.

In no case do not test the strength of the ice with a kick! You can walk on the ice as a last resort if small, radial cracks form under your feet and you can hear crunching. If annular cracks are also added, then the strength of the ice is at its limit.

When preparing for the transition, mark suspicious places in advance:

1. Ice may be unstable near the water drain (for example, at a farm or factory), under bridges and on turns, as well as in narrow places.
2. Thin or loose ice happens near bushes, reeds, in places where algae have frozen into it.
3. Avoid areas with a thick layer of snow: the ice is always thinner under the snow. In cold weather, the polynya "soars", hidden under the snow.
4. The ice is thinner and where the current is fast, where the springs are beating or streams flow, as well as at the cliffs at the bends of the river. In the middle of the river, the ice is more monolithic.
5. If there is a clean place on the snow-covered surface of the reservoir, not covered with snow, it means that it is a polynya or a washout that has not had time to be covered with solid ice.
6. It is especially necessary to descend from the shore carefully – the ice may not be completely tightly connected to the land, cracks are possible or there may be air under the ice. Never go sledding, skiing and skating on the ice if you don't know its thickness.

You can not step on the autumn, nozdryovat ice, in most cases - it is frozen during a blizzard, blizzard snow.

Well, what if the ice did break?

First of all, don't panic. Call for help. The first task is to refrain from diving into the water with your head, for which you need to spread your arms wide along the edge of the ice. You should act quickly, but also carefully, trying not to break off the edge, without sudden movements, you should try to get out on the ice, crawling on its edge with your chest and alternately pulling out your legs.

Another way of self-rescue. Take a horizontal position, resting your feet on the opposite edge of the break (if possible) or do swimming movements with your feet. Pull one leg out onto the ice first, then the other. After getting out of the breach – roll away from it and crawl in the direction from where you were going. Move slowly and carefully all the way to the shore, well, then it's faster to the heat!

The main rule of safety on ice is not being firmly confident in its strength and reliability, do not step on it!

If you comply with the above safety rules on ice, you will be guaranteed against accidents on reservoirs in winter.

In order to avoid accidents on reservoirs during the ice age, be careful not to put your life in danger. Fishermen should refrain from fishing during the ice age, and parents should not let their children play on rivers and reservoirs under any pretext.