Winter Pond Safety Tips

The beauty of having a pond lies in the fact that you can use it year round. Generally, pond owners are good about using good safety habits in the summertime, but in the winter it is important to exercise extra caution and safety. Two of the most common activities pond owners engage in during the winter are ice skating and ice fishing. The obvious safety issue here is falling through unsafe ice. The best safety advice is to not venture out onto the ice in the first place, yet with the coming of winter and all the activities this is inevitable, so here are some tips. Firstly, never go out onto the ice alone. Make sure you always have another person with you because in the event of an accident the other person can go to get help. Just as in the summer months it is equally if not more important to wear a lifejacket. If you fall through ice, a lifejacket can save your life. The lifejacket will keep you warmer, afloat, and give you a better chance of reaching land or climbing up onto the breaking ice. Further, make sure to never start a fire on the ice—this will weaken and melt the ice leading to accidents.