By Jill Sperling

Kamloops emergency responders urge public to stay off river ice

Feb 25, 2019 | 3:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — In some spots, the Thompson Rivers appear to be solid sheets of ice. But, looks can be deceiving. 

“It’s never safe to go on river ice at all,” said Lyle Weninger, Life Safety Educator with Kamloops Fire Rescue. “It’s just so unpredictable, it can layer, there can be pockets of air, people can go through the ice and with the current it can just suck people right under that the ice shelf.”

On Sunday morning, two dogs were spotted on the South Thompson River, one of them clinging to the edge of the ice with its paws. 

Kamloops Fire Rescue members used ropes and a ladder to rescue the dog before calling its owner. 

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“It’s definitely dangerous for us to do the rescue as well so that’s where we ask people to stay off the ice and keep their pets off the ice because you’re also putting us at risk as well,” Weninger said. 

He says it’s also important that owners don’t try to rescue pets themselves. 

“We definitely encourage the public never to go on the ice to perform a rescue,” he said. “We have the suits and the equipment to go out and get that dog safely.”

Outside of city limits, Kamloops Search and Rescue members are the ones who often respond to swift water and ice rescues. 

“We’ll do what we can to get in there, but we still need to be called out by RCMP or BCAS before we can actually go as well,” said Jenn Stahn with Kamloops Search and Rescue. “So, the likeliness of us getting there in time before somebody gets hypothermia isn’t great. So, you don’t want to be relying on search and rescue to get you out of trouble if you do fall through the ice, it’s better just to be safe in the first place.”

Stahn encourages people to be aware of ice conditions on lakes and prepare for any outdoor activity. 

“If you ever have anymore questions about whether something is safe or not, or looking for tips, we always recommend checking out AdventureSmart as well. There’s a lot of great tips for every activity you’re looking at doing at all times of year.”