Snowmobiler plucked from icy river
No ice is safe ice, says fire chief after chilly rescue in Welland
A snowmobile operator was pulled from the Welland River cold and wet after hitting open water near the Lincoln Street-riverside Drive area Saturday afternoon.
Welland Fire and Emergency Services Chief Adam Eckhart said a group of snowmobiles were on the ice on the river when one got away from the pack.
The operator and his machine hit a patch of open water and went into the river.
Eckhart said the man and his snowmobile were assisted back to the shore on the east side of the river before firefighters arrived on scene.
“He was not injured. He was very fortunate to make it shore safely.”
The incident came the same day the fire service’s fire prevention division released a nearly four-minute-long video on ice safety.
The video says 35 per cent of drownings in Canada take place between late fall and early spring when people did not intend to enter the water.
It provides information for people who fish, snowmobile, cross-country ski, go for walks or skate on frozen lakes, ponds or canals to stay safe and possibly save their life.
“No ice is safe ice,” said Eckhart Saturday afternoon, adding the video gets that message across.
He said the Welland River is subject to movement and inflow from other sources that create weak spots in the ice that are not evident on the surface.
“In the last couple of weeks we’ve had calls to our waterways to check on people in ice huts.
“We encourage people who head on the ice to let someone know where they are going, to have some sort of flotation device, ice picks, a self-rescue plan and a whistle to signal people on shore.”