Ice In Area Not All Safe, But Cold Weather Is On The Way To Help

Officials in the Fond du Lac area are warning anyone going out on ice that conditions are really not safe to do so. This comes on the heels of two incidents of people
breaking through ice in the area. One in Waupun and one in Princeton in Green Lake County.

The Princeton incident has resulted in the death of a man police found that broke through ice on the Fox River near his house yesterday.

Waupun Fire Chief BJ DeMaa says Wednesday afternoon a Waupun Police Officer was at Harris Mill Park after seeing three minors on the ice near the edge of open water where they placed a picnic table.

The officer attempted to retrieve the table and broke through the ice.

The officer tried to self-extricate however the ice kept breaking away as he attempted to push down and lift himself out of the water.

The water was deep enough that there was no solid footing for the officer to step on either.

By chance, a second Officer happened to respond to the call as well. With the use of a rescue disc, the officers were able to work together to get the officer out.

DeMaa said the ice in that area was certainly unstable enough that we could have been dealing with one or more minors in the water as well.

He went on to say We’ve had one of the warmest Januarys on record which has resulted in ice that is much thinner than folks are used to at this point of the winter.

He recommends to never go on the ice alone and bring rescue gear such as a rope, or picks to dig into the ice to assist in pulling yourself out if you do break through.

The Waupun Fire Department undergoes ice rescue training every year. 2 firefighters who are certified to teach ice rescue, train all 30 members on first responder safety when working around the ice.

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says with ice fishing well under way, and the sturgeon spearing season right around the corner, he suggests anyone going out on the ice to be informed on current ice conditions and be prepared with proper safety equipment.

He says the best place to get current ice condition updates is through our local fishing clubs.