Every winter drivers need to be reminded to slow down for the changing conditions. The same goes for reminding people and pets to stay off ice surfaces like retention ponds, rivers, and creeks. It does not matter whether the weather is warm or cold, the fluctuating temperatures make for unsafe ice conditions.  

Fire Inspector Jeff Avery says, "Even if it is cold out, we should never be skating on or even walking on retention ponds. They are just so uneven. When something thaws out, it melts a little bit and then at night, it freezes a little bit so you are just getting little layers of ice on those ponds. They are not meant to hold any amount of weight."

Avery says that river and creek ice is extremely dangerous. "The river is always fluctuating so you might have a foot of void space underneath that ice or when the damn opens it might push that ice up which makes it even more unstable because it is breaking apart. So walking along the river is even more dangerous than being on a retention pond."

The safest option for playing on the ice is to head to Mitford Pond or Tim Bannister Memorial Rink. Those surfaces are monitored on a regular basis for safety.