Safety of area's ice still not assured

November 5, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - On the 20-degree morning of Oct. 27, Wasilla Police Patrol Officer Tim Jessen got a call from a Pizza Hut employee who saw someone riding a bike across the ice covering Wasilla Lake. When Jessen spotted the person, he had already pulled himself out of the ice and then jumped back into the water to rescue his bicycle, Jessen said Thursday.

Luckily, the 19-year-old man - who grew up near Juneau in a climate more mild than the Valley's - escaped being trapped under the ice and side-stepped suffering severe hypothermia from being exposed to cold water.

&#8220His temperature was down to 92 degrees, but he declined medical attention. All he wanted was a ride to Fred Meyer to buy some dry clothes,” Jessen said.

&#8220He was pretty embarrassed. He said he thought the ice looked thick enough to support him,” Jessen said.

The ice on Wasilla Lake was between 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick on Oct. 27, Jessen said.

After five days to a week of consistent temperatures in the low 20s, ice may be safe enough to walk on, according to a Web site on ice safety.

&#8220There should be more than 2 inches of ice for people to be out there as long as they are moving, walking or skating,” according to Tim Kelahan, chief of Mat-Su Emergency Services' water rescue team.

&#8220If you're going to be sitting in one spot and ice fishing, 4 inches is good,” he said.

Six inches of ice is suitable for groups of people as well as a moving snowmachines. People in smaller, moving vehicles should wait until the ice is between 8 inches to a foot thick before venturing out, he said.

However, any charts of winter activities on ice and acceptable ice thickness can be thrown out the window at any time, Kelahan said

&#8220It all depends on the body of water and how cold it has been. Wasilla Lake has a number of creeks and springs that make the ice thinner is spots. Migratory birds will affect ice forming by keeping water open,” he said.

Never skate or walk on ice alone, and only venture onto ice on a body of water with which you are familiar, according to the Rhode Island Division of Parks and Recreation ice safety guide.

The Web site's No. 1 rule? Never assume the ice is safe.

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252 or dawn.debusk@ frontiersman.com.