Ice Fishing Gone Wrong
A group of fishermen 200 strong had to be rescued on Monday, Nov. 28, ’22 in northern Minnesota. The fishermen become trapped on the Upper Red Lake when a very large chunk of ice broke away from shore. By the time the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department and the local first responders arrived at 1130 hrs. the ice island was approximately 30 yards from shore. The local water rescue groups were able to locate an area of the newly formed ice island that was still close enough to shore that they were able to build a temporary bridge and evacuate the fisherman.
Because there were so many trapped on the ice and the “likelihood that several groups were unaware of the separation,” local authorities issued a “Wireless Emergency Alert” that sends a text message to all the cell phones within the area. The anglers were given the GPS coordinates to the temporary bridge for evacuation. It reportedly took 3 hours to complete the rescue operation.
Personally, I do not see the appeal of ice sitting on a frozen lake for hours fishing. The possibility of falling through the ice would stress me out way too much. And then of course the freezing temperatures. But if you do decide that venturing out onto a frozen like is for you keep somethings in mind. You should not be by yourself. You may develop signs of moderate hypothermia and not notice. Second, you should not be drinking alcohol. Alcohol of course messes with mental status, but it can also give you a false since of warmth as the spirits move down into your stomach. Alcohol can also increase the speed at which you progress through the stages of hypothermia. Alcohol suppresses the anti-diuretic hormone, which increases your urinary output, and alcohol vasodilates and while you feel flush your dissipating heat even faster because your body wants to deliver more blood to the core but there is a chemical in your system that instead forces more blood to the surface.
Mild hypothermia will present with the following tachycardia, shivering, tachypnea, fatigue, and impaired judgement. As you move into moderate hypothermia the shivering will subside, respirations will slow, blood pressure will start to decrease, and you will develop an altered mental status. And if you are by yourself, it is too late to self-rescue.
So dress appropriately, take a change of clothes in case you get wet, and do your best to shield yourself from that bone-chilling wind that is sweeping across the lake.
Reference:
Alanis, K. (2022, Nov. 28). Minn. Deputies rescue 200 anglers from broken ice chunk on lake. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved from https://www.ems1.com/rescue/articles/minn-deputies-rescue-200-anglers-from-broken-ice-chunk-on-lake-GkIGDEzaLgdu2eiC/.
