Bodies of water will soon start to freeze in Airdrie and you need to be careful.

Just because water looks frozen, does not mean it is. It's the time of year when temperatures begin to drop and ponds, canals, and streams start to look deceivingly safe to walk on. With the fluctuating weather we've been experiencing, these bodies of water are certainly not safe to approach.

"There are a lot of natural water ways in Airdrie, in every community, and we have to be diligent with our children around those waterways when there's ice and the recommendation from the Airdrie Fire Department is 'no ice is safe ice'," warns Chief Garth Rabel. "Stay off all natural ice especially now with the way conditions are, it's very unpredictable."

Educating your children on ice safety is a crucial lesson that could prevent serious accidents or even death by drowning. In February 2017, a 6 year-old boy drowned after falling through ice in Airdrie's Bayside canal.

Rabel also says that pets can be a problem for us when it comes to ice safety.

"If you're off-leash with a dog and it happens to run on the ice and gets itself into trouble, then you get yourself into trouble as well. Maybe the dog is light so you go after the dog and now we've got ourselves a potential problem. So just be really cautious around the waterways right now. Any running water is dangerous water."

The City of Airdrie has alternative options for you and your children to enjoy ice activities.

"We recommend going to arenas or outdoor rinks when they're up on our grassy outdoor spaces that the city puts up. Those are the true safe ice surfaces within the City of Airdrie," suggests Rabel.

To avoid any risk of accidents, everyone should stay and play on the ice surfaces made specifically for recreation.

 

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