Firefighters warn that although the winter cold is slowly freezing bodies of water, it is currently extremely unstable in many of them and can be very dangerous.
On February 12, at 10.16:100 a.m., a report was received that a person was drowning in Lake Galvė, approximately XNUMX meters from the shore. Two units of the Trakai Fire and Rescue Service and a rescue boat were dispatched to the scene.
Arriving at the scene, firefighters saw a man drowning in the lake. Firefighter and rescuer Tadas Jackūnas slid a boat to the drowning man. The 4th on-duty shift participated in the rescue operation. They slid down to the young man on a rescue sled and threw him a lifebuoy. The young man was pulled onto the rescue sled and taken to shore. The shift was led by the on-duty shift commander, Robert Matulevič. The service chief, Egidijus Ščerbavičius, immediately rushed over and also took on the rescue operation. While the medics were waiting, the firefighters made sure that the young man warmed up in their car.
Residents need to know that ice is considered solid if its thickness is more than 7 cm. Such ice can support a person. In order for the ice to support a group of people, its thickness should be at least 12 cm.
Solid ice always has a blue or green tint, while ice with a matte white or yellow tint is unstable.
Fragile, thin ice occurs in places where tree branches, boards, and other objects freeze into it, as well as near bushes, trees, reeds, and other vegetation on the reservoir.
Loose ice also forms in places where water from factories, streams, and springs flow into the water body.
The ice is thinner near the shore and may be cracked.
Ice is also very dangerous during wet weather.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, last year firefighters performed 25 operations on the ice, during which they pulled out 6 drowning people and rescued 7 residents. And this year they performed 4 operations on the ice, during which they pulled out 2 drowning people and rescued one person.
