Media Releases 2007
January 20, 2007
“The Ice Man Cometh” to Nathan Phillips Square
with an important safety message: Ice is never 100% safe!
TORONTO – January 20: John Blaicher makes a habit of plunging himself into ice-cold water in the middle of winter. One of Canada’s leading experts in water and ice safety, Blaicher was at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square today to help Canada’s home, car and business insurers deliver an important message: Ice is never 100% safe. And ice in cities and towns is usually weaker, and therefore more dangerous, than ice in rural areas.
Every winter, 25 to 30 Canadians die in ice-related incidents, and countless others fall through the ice and have close brushes with death.
Blaicher’s ice rescue demo in Toronto is the first stop of a 10-city tour to teach Canadians how to save themselves or others from icy water. The tour is part of the Be Smart. Be Safe. injury prevention program, sponsored by Canada’s home, car and business insurers. Because Nathan Phillips Square doesn’t have a lake or river, Blaicher brought along his own 300-gallon tub, filled with ice and freezing water.
“Many factors influence the formation of ice, and each of the factors has a direct impact upon its strength, thickness and rate of erosion,” Blaicher told a shivering audience while immersed in his icy tub. “Ice in cities and towns is usually weaker and more dangerous than ice in rural areas. This is due to a number of factors, including salt from nearby roads, and more water movement because of water and sewage treatment plants.”
Blaicher warned people to stay off the ice in and around Toronto unless the ice is man-made on top of solid ground, like the ice rink at Nathan Phillips Square. He also stressed that untrained rescuers should never venture onto the ice to try to rescue someone in difficulty. “This too often results in a double tragedy,” he said.
Blaicher also provided the following ice safety tips for urban dwellers:
- High-risk ice areas to avoid in towns and cities include: rivers, flood-retention ponds, low-head dams, ice near thermal effluent generating plants (heating, sewage and thermal-electric), ice in an area where schools of fish and waterfowl congregate, stormwater inlets and outlets and the narrows between ponds and lakes.
- Young children should always be within arm’s reach around water and natural ice.
- Never go out onto the ice to try to rescue someone who has fallen through the ice; you may break through and drown yourself. Call 911 and get help. Be sure to advise EMS that it is an ice emergency.
- Talk to the victim. Encourage the person to rescue him or herself by getting into a swimming position and using his or her arms and legs to kick and pull him or herself out and onto the ice like a seal. If you are successful in guiding the victim onto the ice, tell him or her to crawl along the ice with feet spread apart and not to stand up until on solid ice or ground.
- From a safe, dry location, reach out to the victim with something that will help you pull him or her to safety. This only works when the victim is close to shore. A hockey stick, snow shovel, tree branch, dog leash or rope could all work, but be very careful to secure yourself to avoid getting pulled in.
Be Smart. Be Safe. is a national injury prevention campaign developed by Canada’s home, car and business insurers to reinforce the message that most injuries are preventable. The community outreach program visits cities and towns across the country to show Canadians what they can do to prevent injuries on the road, at home and at play.
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For further information please contact:
Ellen Woodger at 416-483-2358 or James Geuzebroek at 416-362-2031 ext. 4364.
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