If your outdoor activities involve frozen bodies of water throughout the colder months, there are ways you can check to see if it’s safe to go out. 

Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator A.J. Seely says when people consider venturing out on the ice for activities they should check the ice for certain signs to see if it is unsafe. 

“If we look at any sort of chart that references what’s okay for a person to stand on, it’s pretty important that everybody understands we are talking about clear solid ice. We definitely don’t want ice that has air pockets and all sorts of stuff in it like that, that could potentially degrade the quality of it. So, always exercise extreme caution around ice.”

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources the recommendation is at least four inches of ice for ice fishing, and at least five inches of ice for snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles. Seely tells Raccoon Valley Radio another important thing before heading out onto the ice is to notify others about your location in case of an emergency. 

“It’s always a good idea too if you’ve got a buddy, you could practice the buddy system that way if something were to happen there is somebody near you that can call for help or maybe render aid if it’s safe to do so.”

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