It’s that time of year when people want to go ice skating or play some pond hockey. But how do you know when it’s safe?
We spoke with the experts to help keep you safe while out on the ice.
Jesse Touponce and his son Nolan tell us they love being able to play on the ice together.
“We love to play pond hockey. It’s the perfect time to bond, father and son,” Touponce said.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
But fire officials said it’s important to make sure it is safe to be out there.
Michael Thurz, the fire chief for the town of Glastonbury, said the ice can be deceiving.
"Right here, we have a lot of kids that want to play hockey, but there's also some open waterways, too," Thurz said. "So it might be four inches thick in one area, but then as you slowly go out, it could get less and less."
Local
Thurz recommends going to an area that is being monitored.
The Eastbury pond in Glastonbury is continuously being assessed and updated according to safety.
"Right now at this pond, we have signage up that says it's safe to be on the ice; it's unsupervised, and you can skate," Thurz said. "But when it's not safe, we have put up additional signage that says stay off the ice because it's dangerous.
Gregory Foran, park superintendent for the town of Glastonbury, echoed the same sentiments.
“If the signs say no skating, it's not safe," Foran said. "We check it every day, and we go by the measurement of how thick the ice is and what the other conditions are.”
After speaking with the Farmington Fire Department, they gave us some tips to help you be safe while on the ice.
The ice should be at least four to six inches thick; it should be no more than 40 degrees outside. If you see water on the edges, it is not considered safe.
And last but not least, it is always best to be safe rather than sorry.
Thurz said don’t go skating alone, and always bring a phone with you.
In the case of someone falling through the ice, you should call 9-1-1 immediately.
“Get your arms out onto the ice if you're able to successfully pull yourself out," Thurz said. "When you try to get back to shore, try to distribute your weight evenly, whether that's rolling back towards the shoreline or skating across or basically crawling across the ice evenly.”
He also said don't go after someone who has fallen in.
"If there's something that is nearby that's long enough that you could reach the person that's on the ice, try to get it to them, but don't go on the ice yourself because you're just going to fall in," Thurz said.
The signs at Eastbury Pond have a number you can call to check in on the current conditions. You can also check in with your local parks and recreation department.
