First responders warn people to stay off icy bodies of water in Western Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Police and rescue officials in Allegheny and Armstrong counties are warning people to stay off icy bodies of water for their safety, and the safety of first responders.
Frigid temperatures froze our region last week, and lots of ice formed on our rivers, creeks, lakes, and ponds.
KDKA-TV has learned people have been going out on the ice, and it's led to multiple calls to 911. Several agencies have posted warnings on social media about the chilling dangers.
The icy rivers sure look cool, but the warmer weather has been thinning the ice.
"You might think that, yes, it might be below freezing. But with the way the sun shines on the river and it hits all day. It is going to be thawing throughout the week. And the potential for falling in is very high, even if you're around the edge, you could still fall in," said Cpl. Chad Bowman with Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department.
Many people have gotten too curious about the floating ice.
Cpl. Bowman said they've had several 911 calls of people, including kids, walking, or playing on the ice in the Freeport area.
He said one call last week came from someone on the Laneville Bridge, who said they saw a kid slipping on the ice on Buffalo Creek. Another report to 911 was for kids playing on the freezing Allegheny River who almost fell in.
"We had several calls that were juveniles walking into the center, basically the center of the Allegheny, where it was actively like breaking apart and around them," said Cpl. Bowman said.
A big concern is that it can be especially challenging to determine the safety of ice that has formed over moving water.
"People think that, oh, yeah, I'll just fall in and kind of climb my way out and that's not what's going to happen. The river has a pretty decent current this time of year with all the snow melt and everything like that so you will most definitely be swept under and depending on how big of a piece of ice it is, you might not be able to get back out," said Cpl. Bowman said.
"Ice that forms on moving water is very dangerous. It's nearly impossible to judge the thickness of the ice," said Justin Sypolt, District Chief, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS and River Rescue.
Sypolt said they've also had a few requests for service for people who have been seen out on the icy rivers in the city, including a call reporting early Tuesday evening.
"We had a report of five juveniles on the ice near the Andy Warhol bridge. They were able to get off the ice before there was any issue there. But we did have units responding to that that were canceled on the way," Sypolt said.
"And earlier this week, we also had a report of a male that walked across the ice near the Smithfield Street bridge, he was trying to take some pictures. Again, was able to get off the ice on his own," he added.
Emergency responders said the risk of breaking through the ice into the frigid water is not worth the fun you think you could have.
"The best advice that we could give to anyone is just to stay off of the ice altogether. Because once you fall through and get into a position where you need to be rescued. We're already behind the curve because you're already behind the curve and become at risk for hypothermia very quickly. And it's dangerous for responders to try to come and rescue you," said Sypolt.
If you ever fall through the ice --- he said try to shout for help, make sure you maintain a solid contact on the ice that is still intact, and if you can, kick your way out onto the surface of the ice.
If you spot someone who has fallen through the ice, remember the phrase "Preach-Reach-Throw-Go."
Preach: Call 911. Shout to the victim to tell them help is on the way.
Reach: If you can safely reach them from shore, extend an object like a rope or branch to them.
Throw: Toss one end of a rope or an object that will float to the victim, and you can use it to pull them to safety.
Go: If it is too dangerous for you to help, go find help.