Northern fire officials stress safety during ice fishing season

Fire crews stress safety this ice fishing season Fire crews want people who choose to go fishing out on lake ice this winter to make sure they keep safety top of mind.

Fire firefighters are stressing that people keep safety top of mind this ice fishing season as the first few dozen ice shacks are already out on Callander Bay.

Anglers are eager to get out on the lake now that the season is underway.

North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley is taking the time to remind ice fishing enthusiasts to make sure the ice is thick enough to be out there.

"They should really know the ice that they're going on,” Whiteley said.

“Some of the smaller back lakes are icing up nicely, but the bigger lakes like Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake are wide open in a lot of areas."

The fire department stresses people need to note the colour of the ice and measure its thickness before stepping foot on it.

Ice is never uniformly thick. Dangerous areas frequently occur around river mouths, underwater springs, beaver dams, and dark, rocky shorelines. Clear blue ice is generally the strongest, while white, honeycombed ice is only half as strong.

"The wind and the current, they all have an effect on how the ice sets up and the type of ice,” said Whiteley.

Samantha Simpkin, owner of Fish Bay Marina, has decided to delay renting her 16 huts for lake use until mid-January, waiting for better, colder conditions.

"There's still open water on the lake, which is where we need to go,” Simpkin said.

“Where we go is not safe by any means. It needs to be consistently -10, -15, -20 overnight to really build that ice."

It's recommended if there's only three inches of ice or less, then stay off. Four inches is OK for skating or ice fishing, between five and six inches is required for ATVs and at least 12 inches is needed for bigger vehicles.

Fire officials are also reminding anglers to have smoke and CO alarms in their shacks.

"We have had some tragedies in the past,” said Whiteley.

“If you're using a wood-burning fireplace or propane heater or even an electric generator, have a carbon monoxide alarm."