Winter Pond Safety

Details: Published on Tuesday, 01 November 2016 14:41

With winter just around the corner, the Andrew County health Department would like to remind you to talk to your children about pond ice safety.

Winter pond recreation activities such as sledding, ice skating, and fishing are enjoyed by many rural families in Missouri. Remember that these fun winter activities are still pond-related activities and require additional precautions because ice is involved.

Always know the strength and thickness of the ice on the farm pond before doing any activity on the ice. Because ice is a complex formation no ice is completely safe. Newly frozen ice is typically stronger than old ice. Ice that has thawed and refrozen can be weak and potentially dangerous. Temperature, precipitation (e.g., snow, sleet, rain), age of ice, water depth, and water quality are all factors involved in the strength and thickness of ice. Just because ice may be several inches to a foot or more thick does not guarantee its strength. Inspect the ice conditions every time you go onto the ice because condition, strength, and stability of ice can change quickly depending on the temperature, weather, and sunlight. Enjoy winter time activities but please follow safety rules. Think twice before going out on that ice! For more information and ice safety tips visit www.projectskipper.com.

This project is/was funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Maternal and Child Health Services Contract #DH150006012 and is/was supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #B04MC28109, Maternal and Child Health Services for $9,095,311, of which $0 is from non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.