BRATTLEBORO — What should you do if the ice breaks out from under your feet and you end up in icy cold water? Here's some advice from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:
• First, try not to panic. This may be easier said than done, unless you have worked out a survival plan in advance. Read through these steps so that you can be prepared.
• Don't remove your winter 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.
• Turn toward the direction you came. That's probably the strongest ice.
• Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. This is where a pair of nails, sharpened screwdrivers, or icepicks come in handy, in providing the extra traction you need to pull yourself up onto the ice.
• Kick your feet and dig in your ice picks to work your way back onto the solid ice. If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward.
• Lie flat on the ice once you are out and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out. This may help prevent you from breaking through again.
• Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area and re-warm yourself immediately. In moderate to severe cases of cold-water hypothermia, you must seek medical attention. Cold blood trapped in your extremities can come rushing back to your heart after you begin to re-warm. The shock of chilled blood may cause ventricular fibrillation, leading to a heart attack and possible death.
More information on ice safety is available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/.