In wake of Budd Lake death, ice rescue experts, parks officials discuss falls

on January 09, 2013 at 6:00 AM, updated April 09, 2013 at 1:35 PM
Ice fishing at Minsi Lake View full size Anglers come off the ice Jan. 3 at Lake Minsi in Upper Mount Bethel Township after ice fishing.  

Safety on frozen lakes across the region depends on a number of factors, including knowing the depth of the ice and what to do if it breaks, water rescue and weather experts said Tuesday.

In the Morris County, N.J., community of Budd Lake, just east of Hackettstown and about 30 miles from Easton, divers temporarily suspended their search Tuesday night for a second New Jersey teenager who disappeared Monday night in the icy lake.

The body of one of the missing boys was recovered Tuesday afternoon.

Improving the chances of survival in cold water and increasing the outcome of being rescued may depend on age, water temperature and the overall health of the person, water rescuers said.

Michael Rau Jr., chief of Pennsylvania Water Rescue in Easton, said many variables come into play in an ice rescue. Cold water can dangerously accelerate the onset and progression of hypothermia, because body heat can be lost faster in cold water than in cold air, he said.

"Colder water will take someone quicker, you'll go into hypothermia quicker," he said. "With warmer water, you can stay afloat as long as you can tread water." And it will take longer for hypothermia to kick in.

Hypothermia can be a factor even in the summer when water temperature is lower than body temperature.

"It's traumatic when someone falls in, it's a shock. It's cold," Rau described. "If you stay still, you'll lose less heat."

Life jackets vital

Ryan C. Walt, boating and watercraft safety manager for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said there is a wealth of new research on cold water survival stating that wearing a life jacket significantly increases a person's chance of survival.

“Without a life jacket, a victim may inhale while under water -- involuntary gasp -- and drown without coming back to the surface,” he said. “This can only be prevented by wearing a life jacket at all times while on the water.”

Asked what goes into a typical water rescue, Rau, who's been with the team for 17 years, said divers will remain in rescue mode for an hour before the search turns into a recovery. Recovering a body from under ice can be very challenging, because the body could be trapped just under the ice, not necessarily at the bottom.

Other factors in play include currents under the ice that may over time move the position of the person, Rau said. Adding to the danger is the weight of an adult rescuer; many times the rescuer outweighs the patient and the ice breaks quicker.

"You see that a lot with ice rescues, a dog runs out and the owner says, 'I got to get my dog,' but doesn't think about how much a dog weighs compared to them," Rau said. "If the dog made it out there, an adult is likely to make it half the distance."

That is what authorities believe happened to Robert Poyer Jr., 59, of Hope Township, who drowned in January 2010 at Swayze Mill Park lake off Route 519 in the township. Some at the time of the incident said Poyer stepped out onto the frozen lake to rescue his dog and fell through the ice. The dog was rescued near the scene.

Rau said dive teams need to be thorough in searches beneath ice, checking every area top to bottom. A diver can only perform so many dives per day based on water depth, and there's limited time between dives. So it's essential to have strength in the numbers of divers on the effort. The job is physically demanding; if divers need a break, they should take it, Rau said.

"When we go out and do a rescue recovery, we stick with it," Rau said. "We're there until the end. We came there to do a job, and our goal is to return that person to their family. If they're in there, we're going to find them."

Weather and ice

Weather experts say those willing to walk on a frozen surface need to take proper precautions, knowing they could be putting themselves at risk.

Valerie Meola, meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Mount Holly, N.J., said temperatures will increase into the lower 50s in the Lehigh Valley and Northwest Jersey this weekend. She said some melting will occur, especially in the daytime hours.

Frank Lombardo, a meteorologist and president of WeatherWorks in Hackettstown, said no matter how much a person knows or understands, there still are so many variables that can break ice when ventured across it.

"The rule of thumb is anything less than a couple inches thick, just stay off," Lombardo said. "People often test it in one place and don't understand there's variations; underground streams where water is moving, the ice is usually thinner. An inlet or spring moving water under ice is less likely to freeze than an area where the water remains stagnant or still.”

Lombardo said there are many deceptions when it comes to where water is frozen underneath and where it isn't. He said if it’s windy, ice tends to thin out if not completely frozen. By stirring up the surface of the water, the wind inhibits or slows down ice formation, he said.

"When we have these sunny days, there's some heat that's absorbed into the ground on the perimeter of the ice,” Lombardo said. “It’s deceiving because the ice looks solid and you'll see people fishing, but the edges are often thinner because the adjacent bank absorbs heat from the sun more readily than the ice that has formed further from the shore.”

Three or four sunny days like in this past week, Lombardo said, are enough to start warming the edge of a pond, and the shallow water near the edge of the pond is more likely to see the ice begin to break. Ice fishing, Lombardo said, generally is safe when ice reaches a thickness of about 4 to 6 inches and a snowmobile can be driven on ice about 6 to 8 inches. He said the general safety rule is to ice fish in pairs.

"The thing is you really, really have to avoid are inlets and outlets, and any underground springs where ice is known to have difficulty forming,” he said. “The ice needs to be solid all the way to the shoreline. If you see it’s thinned out near the shoreline, you see it’s melting, you should expect some weakness to the ice and question its safety.”

Lost lives

Northampton County parks officials say they constantly worry about people being careless and walking on a frozen 120-acre Lake Minsi, a popular spot for fishing and boating in Upper Mount Bethel Township.

Water rescuers recall the drowning in January 1989 at Lake Minsi that took the lives of Carolee Strunk, 27, of Bangor; her daughter, April Ann, 8, and son, Jared, 5; and a family friend, SaraAnn Bowers, 8. The victims fell through the ice and died despite the daring rescue efforts of an ice fisherman and a cadre of rescue workers.

“That incident is the worst remembered ice tragedy in Northampton County, and with public awareness and taking precautions will never have to be revisited,” Rau said.

Northampton County Parks Superintendent Gordon Heller said Lake Minsi, which is overseen by the state Fish and Boat Commission, is available to licensed ice fishermen at their own risk. It is not monitored for ice safety.

“It’s always a constant worry for people,” he said, “particularly, unsupervised children.”

Walt said when arriving at the water's edge, anglers should visually survey the ice. Look for open water areas, and look for signs of recent changes in water levels. Ice sloping down from the bank because the water level dropped, or wet areas on the ice because the water level rose, can be indicators of a very dangerous condition.



Look for clear blue ice. New ice is stronger than old ice and usually has a blue tint. Remember that ice thickness is not consistent.

Beware of ice around partially submerged objects such as trees, brush, embankments or structures. Ice will not form as quickly where water is shallow or where objects absorb heat from sunlight.

A life jacket or float coat should be worn at all times while on the ice.

Anglers should use an ice staff to probe ahead of them. If the ice staff punches through then the angler should retreat back to shore slowly.

Anglers should always carry a pair of ice awls in the case that they do go through the ice so they can self-rescue. Some float coats have ice awls attached at the wrist to provide enough grip to haul oneself onto the surface.

Never go out on ice that has formed over moving water such as a river or stream.

Never go out on ice alone.

Always let someone know your plans and when you expect to return.

Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission



Stay calm, keep your clothing on and zipped tight.

Kick and pull to get yourself on top of the broken ice. Then roll out of and away from the hole in the ice.

Leave the scene by walking the same path you took over the ice originally.

Seek immediate shelter, remove all wet clothes and begin rewarming slowly.

Source: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife