(paNOW Staff/ Ronald Quaroni)

By Ronald Quaroni

River Danger

‘It may look safe to walk on, but it absolutely isn’t:’ PAFD encourages ice caution

Apr 9, 2020 | 12:37 PM

What may appear to be a solid sheet of ice underneath a blanket of snow, could be a perilously thin sheet of ice.

The Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) is encouraging the public to stay off the North Saskatchewan River.

“Ice safety is paramount in Prince Albert because (that) ice is on a flowing river,” Deputy Fire Chief Alex Paul told paNOW. “There’s no good way for a person to determine how thick the ice is or how safe it may be at any given time.”

Paul noted recent snowfall can make to solidity of the ice deceiving and residents should not chance it.

“What people don’t see is how much melting is taking place underneath. They see a thick blanket of snow across the river and think it may look safe to walk on, but it absolutely isn’t,” Paul said.

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Recent history should also be kept in mind.

Paul reminded everyone last year this time, the river ice was moving around on the 8^th or 9^th of April.

He said they do see people walking across the ice during the winter, a practice he strongly advises against but recently the PAFD was called out for a report of someone walking on the ice.

“At any time throughout the winter there is no predictable way of knowing how thick the ice is. We would always advise not to be on it,” Paul recommended.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni