SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Ice is a big concern in the winter.
Slippery steps and sidewalks. Slippery running boards on trucks.
The pain of scraping the ice off your windshield in the morning.
Icy roads when you expect them to be icy. Black ice when you don’t.
And what about ice on the lakes? In The Black Hills, a man had to
be rescued because his ATV sank in the ice on Sheridan Lake.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released some ice
safety tips we should all take to heart this winter:
1. There is no such thing as 100% safe ice.
2. New ice is usually stronger than old ice.
3. Ice fishing is a social activity, don’t go out alone.
4. If the worst should happen, someone else should be there to call
for help or to rescue.
5. There could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice recently
formed, so check ice thickness as you go out.
6. Avoid off-colored snow or ice. It is usually a sign of weakness.
7. The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process.
8. Safety items in the bucket: Ice picks, about 50 feet of rope and
a throwable floatation seat cushion for use in case of a rescue.
(Colin Strombeck of KELO Radio News contributed this report.)
