Deryn Rizzi, chief of Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, with some timely advice.
With spring here, we can look forward to spending more quality time outdoors. Even though winter in Mississauga was mild with the lack of snowfall and freeze/thaw temperatures, I want all residents to remain careful around ice and all sources of water such as creeks, rivers and lakes.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
• When enjoying fun outdoor activities such as walking or playing at a park, remember to stay close to the shore or riverbanks and avoid all ice. It may appear thicker and safe, but it can still be uneven, slippery and dangerous — putting you and your loved ones at risk. Falling through ice can hurt your body, lower your body temperature and, in serious cases, people can drown.
• Don’t forget about pets and their outdoor walks. Pets must be on leash. If a pet goes through the ice, do not try to rescue the animal yourself as you may be putting yourself and others in danger. It’s natural instinct to want to jump in and save your pet but it’s best to leave this to rescue teams who have proper training.
• With resident’s safety in mind, the Parks By-law in Mississauga prohibits people from going on snow or ice-covered ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and other bodies of water in city parks that are not maintained (such as natural community ice rinks) for the safety of the community. These bylaws exist to keep everyone safe.
• Frozen ground can prevent melting snow or rainfall from being absorbed into the ground; instead, the water runs off the ground and flows into Lake Ontario and local rivers and streams. This, factored in with seasonal storms, can cause flooding if water has nowhere to go.
Not all ice is safe ice, and for that reason, Mississauga residents looking to skate on ice should only skate at public rinks and arenas. If you experience an emergency on ice, always call for help and call 911. Resist the immediate urge to climb back out where you fell in. The ice can be weak in this area. While Mississauga’s firefighters are trained in ice rescues, in case of an emergency it is truly up to each one of us to keep ourselves and others safe, including the most vulnerable community members, pets and children.
Deryn Rizzi is chief of Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services.