Each winter when lakes ice over, many grab their fishing poles or ice skates to go out and have fun.

But when ice melts and refreezes or is covered by snow, the danger of falling through becomes of a threat, according to officials."Every year there are always a lot of people who decide to go out on the ice to do their winter activities, but people forget that even though it is covered with ice, it's still a body of water and not a permanent fixture," said Kyle Morgan, captain of the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department Rescue and Recovery Dive Team.Water that has frozen over time is much stronger than when snow falls and freezes on top of ice, Morgan said.People may overestimate their experience when going out on the ice and are ill-prepared, Morgan said."Some people have gone out on the same lake for 20 years and don't think anything will happen, but it only takes a split second because they aren't walking on solid ground," he said.Four inches of ice can safely support one person up to 200 pounds, Morgan said, adding that the information he was using is available online at

www.pgc.state.pa.us.Five inches of ice can safely support 800 pounds, like a snowmobile; seven inches can support 1,500 pounds, like a group of people, and eight inches can support 2,000 pounds, like a car, according to the website.Falling through the ice can be dangerous or even deadly, but not necessarily because of hypothermia."When people think of falling through the ice, they right away think of hypothermia," Morgan said. "What usually drags someone down is the cold water shock and initial gasp they take from falling in it. They can swallow a big gulp of water and that will drag them down."Working too hard to get out of the water and panicking can also be dangerous factors in falling through the ice."They also right away panic and aren't mentally prepared. They try to hurry back to shore, which is more dangerous than taking their time or floating," Morgan said."When people panic," he added. "If you try to get up on the ice in the direction that (you) were walking and fell through, chances are the ice is still just as weak" and the person will fall through again.Fatalities from falling through the ice can be easily avoided with the right preparation, Morgan said."They can bring something called ice awls, which are probably much cheaper to just make because they are two pieces of wood with two nails sticking out of them," he said. "You aren't going to get a grip if you're in the water trying to get out."When climbing out of water back onto ice, a person should slam the awls onto the ice and use a kicking motion, like swimming, while pulling themselves out, Morgan said.Those who go out on the ice should layer their clothing and bring things like extra dry clothes, energy-rich snacks, a coil of rope in case a friend falls through the ice, a small first aid kit and matches stored in a waterproof case, according to

www.pgc.state.pa.us.Morgan also said that people should never go out on the ice alone.The Schuylkill Haven Dive Team has received one call this winter of someone falling through the ice at Sweet Arrow Lake, Pine Grove, but the call was canceled because the person managed to climb back out."A good majority of the time we are recovering, not so much pulling people out," Morgan said.He also added that people should be careful when crossing rivers "because of the moving water, the ice is less predictable."The Schuylkill Haven Dive Team tries to work as much as possible with the two other dive teams in the county, the Ryan Township Emergency and Rescue Squad and the West End Dive Team in Mahanoy City."We try to go out and train with them every year. With the amount of money and personnel it takes to run a dive team, everybody relies on each other," Morgan said.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC