What if I were ice fishing and fell through the ice?

If you do fall through the ice, try to remain calm and quickly grab for surface ice in the direction from where you came. The ice behind you is stronger -- remember that you just traveled across it. Using your auger or any other sharp object you have, pull yourself onto the ice. Once you're up and out of the water, don't stand up. By keeping your weight distributed evenly over the ice, you have a better chance of not breaking through again. You can either roll or crawl away from the hole. Once you reach safe ice, you're not out of danger yet. You must be treated for hypothermia as soon as possible. Your body temperature will continue to drop as long as you're in a cold environment. Find shelter and dry clothes immediately. You can drink warm non-alcoholic liquids. No matter how tempting, don't drink any alcohol -- it dilates your blood vessels and increases heat loss.

Now let's say it's not you, but your fishing buddy that takes a dive. What should you do? Your first instinct will be to run toward him or her to help. Don't do this -- you'll both end up in the water! Quickly locate the longest thing you have at hand -- your auger, some rope, a pole or a branch will do nicely. Lie down on the ice and stretch the item out toward your friend. After he or she grabs on, pull your friend to safety. If you don't have anything long enough to reach your friend, but there are several people around, form a human chain. Everyone should lie flat on the ice, one in front of the other, holding on to the next person's feet until you can reach the victim. Again, your friend will need to seek first aid for hypothermia.