Just an hour southeast of Winnipeg, a family’s life has changed forever.
A press release from the RCMP said, on Christmas Eve, a skid-steer loader fell through ice on a private pond in the Rural Municipality of Hanover. The 58-year-old man operating it died.
“Unfortunately, Christmas will never be the same for them,” said Jean-Claude Normandeau, chief of La Broquerie’s Fire Department, and among the first responders to the scene.
He said the pond was about 20 feet deep, and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team (HEART) had to be called in.
“The hardest part is probably being there and not being able to assist right away, having to wait for the underwater team to come up,” he said, though the unit got there as fast as they could.
Paul Maendel is the diving coordinator for HEART.
“We had a diver down, (who) came up and reported that the loader cab was open and the operator wasn’t in the machine or in the immediate vicinity of the machine,” he said. Due to low visibility, a sonar device was used.
“We did locate an anomaly that would fit the description of our target about 30 feet from the machine,” Maendel said.
Steinbach RCMP continue to investigate this incident, but Lorne Edwards, media coordinator with Lifesaving Society Manitoba, said it’s, tragically, not one of a kind.
Practicing ice safety
“About a third of all drownings in Manitoba actually occur during the winter months. So we’re talking between October and April,” Edwards said.
On Friday, the Manitoba government additionally warned that “at this time of year, especially in southern Manitoba, ice is still forming and could be dangerously thin.”
As such, Edwards said it’s critical to check the depth of ice with a drill before going on it, and pack along the appropriate gear.
“It’s very important to sometimes wear a buoyant suit or even a life jacket in the wintertime… It could save your life. And of course, being prepared is a very important step in safety. If you know you’re going out onto the ice, we suggest carrying ice packs, or ice poles and rope. Sometime those are the things that can save a life. And it may not even be yours,” he said.
Edwards also advises never to go on ice alone, to avoid going on it at night, or venturing onto unknown or snow-covered ice, as snow can act as an insulator.
However, he said, in the event one comes across someone needing help, there are some things they can do.
“Obviously, first thing, (call) 9-1-1 for help,” he said. “If you see someone go into the ice, don’t automatically rush over to them and try to rescue them, because you potentially put yourself in harm’s way as well.
“That’s why you’re carrying the rope. (Or) maybe there is a long stick that you can reach out to them (with), or perhaps even a ladder nearby.”
For those needing to rescue themselves, there is also a chance at hope.
“Turn yourself back to the way you came, because at least you know that there’s a certain amount of ice there that supported your weight before,” he said. “If you have your ice picks, you know, that will aid greatly in trying to get yourself back up on to the ice.
“Of course, you do so… by kind of laying your body flat, and dragging yourself onto the ice, sort of spreading out your weight.”
The impact of ice-related deaths
Normandeau and Maendel said the stakes are too high to not take preventative measures when it comes to ice.
“It’s the family and friends that are left behind and looking at this, (saying) ‘What could we have done to avoid this? But that’s why they call them accidents. It’s unforeseen, and you just don’t want to deal with those situations,” Normandeau said, adding the impact of these deaths runs especially deep in rural communities.
“That’s the challenge in the rural environment. Ninety per cent of the time, you know the people that are involved in these accidents. So it makes it a little bit tougher,” he said, recalling all that happened on Christmas Eve.
“(There were) definitely high emotions through and through. Not just with the families, but also with our members and the RCMP,” Normandeau said.
While it may take time to run through some of the protocols of ice safety, it’s more than worth it, Maendel said.
“It’s better to take longer than be sorry that you lost equipment or, God forbid, loss of life,” he said.