One week ago today, at 10:16 in the morning, the police received a call reporting a man had fallen through the ice on Wood Lake.
That man was identified the following day as Christopher Kent Stone.
Police released no other details about the drowning victim and indicated Stone’s family didn’t want to be contacted.
Stone was said to be riding his bike along the ice and carrying ice fishing gear when he fell through and drowned.
The Lake Country Fire Department responded to the emergency call. Brent Penner, assistant fire chief, said on-call members of the ice rescue team attempted to rescue Stone.
In the past, ice rescues meant waiting for a team from Kelowna to respond. In recent years, the Lake Country Fire Department has more than doubled the number of firefighters with ice rescue training and has three protective dry suits to allow rescuers to enter the water.
A lot of attention has been given to developing the ice rescue capacity and ability of the fire department.
In this incident the department was informed an ice rescue was necessary at about 10:20 a.m. The department was physically on scene at 10:31 and in the water by 10:38.
The rapid response, “was about the best we can do with volunteer, paid on-call members,” said Penner.
It is markedly faster than waiting for a Kelowna team to arrive
In this incident a back up team from Kelowna was on-scene at about 11 a.m.
The ice where Stone went through was only about 3.8 cm (inch and a half) thick, well short of the minimum 10 cm recommended as safe to carry for one person’s weight.
Penner estimates the hole in the ice was only 12 to 15 metres (40 to 50 feet) from shore where Stone broke through. At that location, the bottom of Wood Lake is so steep the body was retrieved from roughly 20 metres of water.
The scene also had what is called a hinge crack running along the east/west meridian of the lake, further weakening the spot.
Penner pointed out that everyone who chooses to go out on ice should remember that ice is never of a uniform thickness. Water movement disrupts the freezing process, and ice movement creates cracks and fissures in what appears to be a solid surface.
It is speculation to assume that riding a bike was the cause of the drowning, Penner said.
But travelling quickly on ice removes the ability to listen for cracking and react in time. he noted.
Anyone venturing onto an iced-over surface should walk slowly, listening for cracking sounds so you have an opportunity to back up, or even lay down on the ice to distribute body weight while moving carefully away.
Penner hopes everyone who chooses to venture onto the ice is properly prepared and aware of the risks they are taking. Even close to shore, it is recommended to wear a flotation device.
