(NORTH PERTH, ON) – The Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding all parents and caregivers to speak to their children about water and ice safety after receiving complaints on February 2 2021 of children playing on the partially frozen Maitland River. Citizens at the Listowel Memorial Park, near Royal Street East, in the Municipality of North Perth were very concerned for the safety of the children due to thin ice and open water.
Venturing onto rivers, lakes, ponds or reservoirs can easily have fatal results. The temperature of the water is cold enough to take away your breath, leading people to panic, and then drown. Once submerged, your arms and leg go numb, which makes it impossible to swim. It also leads to hypothermia due to the reduction of body heat with the possibility of heart failure. This can happen to anyone even if you are a strong swimmer. Even in shallow waters, a slip and fall on the ice could result in someone losing consciousness, increasing the risk of drowning.
Please make sure that you always put your safety as a priority and remember that no ice is safe ice.
Any citizens who see a dangerous condition are encouraged to contact the Perth County OPP at 1-888-310-1122, or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
