Stay Off the Ice Warns Fire Chief
Prince George, B.C. – Keep off the river ice.
That’s the message from Prince George Fire Rescue Chief John Iverson after a potentially dangerous occurrence this afternoon.
“Today at 1 p.m. while performing a regularly scheduled river/ice assessment a City of Prince George public works foreman observed two young children playing on the ice at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers,” he says.
“He advised the children’s parents who were actually in attendance that they must get off the ice immediately. The parent complied with the request and removed the children from the ice.”
Iverson reminds the public that river conditions are “extremely hazardous” and that people should stay “well away from the edge.”
He says anyone who falls through the ice or into one of the fast-moving open water channels “will likely not survive.” Iverson adds “if a person isn’t swept under the pack ice by the current they will succumb to hypothermia within minutes.”
“In my 29-year career at Prince George Fire Rescue Service I’ve seen numerous tragedies caused by irresponsible behaviour, nothing compares to today’s event where a parent knowingly put their children in harm’s way.”
Iverson reminds people to use extreme caution around the Nechako and Fraser Rivers and to respect all barricades and cordoned off areas.
Comments
Blow my mind that parents think that’s okay.
Very scary situation indeed. Once pulled under the ice you probably will never be found, and if you are it could be miles and miles away.
I think we are getting further and further away from basic education of people in regards to the various dangers around us, basically simple things like the dangers of lakes and rivers, driving over the speed limit and what can happen to people if they go off the road a high speeds, skiing out of bounds on ski hills, snowmobiling in avalanche area’s, leaving kids in the car in hot, or cold weather, etc; etc;.
The education of kids is the responsibility of the parents to a large degree, however if the parents themselves don’t have the knowledge to educate their kids, then what happens.
At the meeting of the Nechako and the Fraser Rivers, it would be very treacherous to be on the ice as the rivers flow quite strongly. Stay off the ice, walk down the side of the river and take some great pictures.
Priceless parenting, way to go.
Stupid people doing stupid things. But all who venture out in the winter should read this, including the fire chief.
http://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/1_10_60v2.html Vital info that can save lives.
Parents also need to realize that while small children are less likely to fall through the ice since they are lighter, if they do enter cold water, they will die more quickly of hypothermia since they have a higher ratio of surface area to mass.
Comments for this article are closed.