Rescue Crews Warn Of Shifting, Melting Ice

DULUTH - After one long, grueling winter, the Duluth Fire Department is warning people about thinning, shifting, and cracking ice, especially on Lake Superior.

"People have been out, it's been cold,” explained Duluth Fire Capt. Shawn Krizaj. “The ice has been safe for months and months, and now things are starting to thin up."

Fishermen and ice lovers are trying to squeeze in their last few days on the frozen lake, but rescue squads are saying warm days are the most dangerous days on Lake Superior. The ice on Lake Superior is about a foot thick, but fire officials are warning people heading further out on the lake to take serious precautions.

The fire department is asking people going fishing to go with another person. It’s a good idea to have one guy walk alone a little bit farther ahead of the other person so if there is a problem, both people are not going to go in at the same time.

If you decide to fish alone, bring a pole and tap out the ice before you walk on it. If it starts to crack, lay down.

"When you're standing up, all your weight is centered in a small spot when you lay down it's spread out," Krizaj explained.

Also, get a pair of ice pics. They’re designed to stay in your sleeves so if you fall in you can grip the ice and pull yourself out.

When shipping season is right around the corner, people don't realize how the Coast Guard’s ice-breaking Alder can affect people on the ice from miles away, too.

“They can be a half mile or a mile away from the Alder as it's going through and an ice crack can come and can be separated either from shore or from what they think is safe," Krizaj explained.

As it starts to warm up and the Alder continues to break ice, the wind will take the huge sheets and push them against the shore. The fire department says walking on that ice can actually be more dangerous than walking on the frozen lake because as the ice moves, you can slip under and essentially be crushed.