A Chilling Reminder About the Importance of Self Rescue
2025-Jan-31
A Chilling Reminder About the Importance of Self Rescue
A recent incident in Smiths Falls, where a 14-year-old boy fell through the ice into the Rideau River, serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of venturing onto frozen water. Fortunately, the teenager was rescued quickly and treated for hypothermia (you can watch the dramatic rescue here). While OPP and fire services are trained to respond to ice and water rescues, precious time can be lost as they travel to the scene. This delay can be critical, as the effects of hypothermia can set in quickly. Knowing how to self-rescue can significantly increase your chances of survival. Whether you’re ice fishing, snowmobiling, or simply taking a winter stroll, it’s crucial to be prepared for the unexpected. CBC and Boreal River Rescue have some great advice to help yourself and others if you wind up taking an unexpected plunge.
Gear up before heading out
Prepping for self-rescue can start as you get ready to head out. Wearing something waterproof, buoyant, and warm like a floater suit or drysuit would be ideal, but even if those are not an option consider adding an inflatable life vest to your cold weather wear.
Other items to consider taking with you:
A cell phone in a waterproof sleeve
Wearable ice picks
A pealess whistle (the pea in a pea whistle may freeze in cold situations)
A floating rescue rope
You’ve got about 10 minutes to rescue yourself before the cold takes over
OPP and fire services are trained in ice and water rescue however, valuable time can be lost while they travel to incident locations. The debilitating effects of ice cold water on your body means that self-rescue is likely your best and possibly your only chance to get out of the water.
If you fall through the ice:
Try not to panic.
This may be easier said than done, but it is important to get your breathing under control after the initial shock. Focus on taking nice, slow deep breaths.
Learn the 1-10-1 Principle, which outlines the first three phases of cold water immersion and hypothermia.
Don’t remove your clothing.
Heavy clothes won’t drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmobile suit.
CBC (Francis Ferland/Radio-Canada)
Swim back to where you fell in.
That’s likely where the ice is strongest. Use your hands to break the weaker ice away.
Place your hands and arms on the ice surface and your feet flat on the water.
Using your hands or a tool like an ice pick, pull yourself onto the ice as you kick with your back feet.
Once you are out, lie flat on the ice and roll away from the hole
Once your chest is on the ice, start turning diagonally, using your legs to help propel you further out of the water.
Rolling will spread your weight out and may help prevent you from breaking through again.
If you are unable to rescue yourself, you’ll have about an hour before you pass out from hypothermia. Professor Popsicle suggests if it doesn’t look like you can get out on your own, wet your palms again and place them flat on the ice as far from the hole as you can so your hands freeze on the ice to keep your mouth and nose above water and to stay visible to potential rescuers.
The OPP has a short video on self rescue here:
Or Pike Pole Fishing in Wisconsin has great self rescue tips in this video:
If someone else falls through the ice:
Keep yourself safe and dry.
If you get wet, you could also be at risk of hypothermia.
Let the person know you are going to help and call 911.
Throw something you can use to help pull them.
A rope or strong branch are good options.
Encourage them to kick as you pull them out.
Once they reach the edge, pull them out and have them to roll away from the weak ice.
Get the person somewhere safe and dry.
CBC has more tips on self-rescue and how to help rescue someone else here.
Want more tips? Join a Cold Water Workshop
Learn how to survive unexpected cold water immersion with the Canadian Safe Boating Council’s (CSBC) virtual workshops, led by renowned expert Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht. Topics include cold water myths, survival techniques, and self-rescue methods. Register now for an upcoming workshop and increase your chances of staying safe around water!
This web page is intended for general information purposes only. While we have attempted to provide information that is helpful for our readers, GBA accepts no legal liability for the contents of this web page. Ensure you check original sources of information on ice safety and self-rescue for further details and updates.
Prepping for self-rescue can start as you get ready to head out. Wearing something waterproof, buoyant, and warm like a floater suit or drysuit would be ideal, but even if those are not an option consider adding an inflatable life vest to your cold weather wear.
Keep yourself safe and dry.