Person on ice yesterday
 

Yesterday we were driving down 11-C (Lily Pond Road) in Gilford and noticed someone on the ice far out, away from the shore. We were shocked as there were many large open water areas. A little while later we were in Town Hall paying our taxes, so I went up to the police window at the end of the building and told the dispatcher. Her response was, "Oh well, maybe the ice is at least two inches thick and is okay, but I'll let Fish & Game know." My response was, "When he goes through the ice, you will get the first call, not F&G." Today Lily Pond is completely open, no ice at all. I'm shocked at the stupidity of some people, but I'm even more surprised that the dispatcher didn't seem to think it was very important.

Nominee for a 2014 Darwin Award? ;)

Person on ice yesterday
 

I certainly wouldn't wish bad luck to anyone, but experience is a great teacher, both directly and indirectly, so, if a person is out on the ice before it is safe, and they go through, they will learn a big lesson, and so should everyone else thinking about going on the ice too early.

Let me repeat my self, I certainly wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, but sometimes a hard lesson sticks with us the longest.

Unfortunately venturing out on thin ice doesn't usually end well. Not that anyone is wishing for the worst to happen, just a fact.

I know you can drown in very little water, but how deep is Lily Pond this time of year?

Actually Lily Pond is filled with logs from the 1938 huuricane it's maybe 6 feet deep at the most. Because of all the logs it has a very high mercury content so the fish is not edible.

Then maybe the gentleman was walking on some logs, or maybe in shallow water. I don't think that he was walking on ice.

It was good to report it though...you never know what some Darwin Award candidates will do.

There was ice on a local pond in Tuftonboro this weekend and I also saw someone walking on the ice. So while it was possible to walk on thin ice in the lakes region recently doing so was incredibly stupid and thoughtless since falling through the ice endangers the lives of police, firemen and civilian first responders. The person i saw was a grown adult ice fishing around the perimeter of the pond. Again, STUPID.

While being out on the ice this weekend was incredibly dangerous, I take offense to Jean's implication that the Gilford police should have immediately dropped everything they were doing to go save someone from themselves. My guess is Jean is also the type of citizen who criticizes police officers for using deadly force against people carrying weapons, assaulting officers, etc. as opposed to waiting to see if the gun is real, the perpetrator is actually trying to harm the officer, etc. People in this country need to start obeying laws and taking responsibility for their actions.

I have criticized police and firemen in the past for outrageous pensions but everyday that goes by i begin to believe that they earn every nickel.

Do you really think you should be guessing what kind of a person jean is from behind a keyboard?
I agree that people need to take responsibility for their actions,

Second Curve: And I take GREAT OFFENSE at your unfounded comment. You have jumped to conclusions that you have no right to draw on a public forum. I am really offended and don't like your comments about how I feel toward police. You don't even know me. Did I say that the Gilford police should have dropped everything else to go rescue this idiot from his own stupidity???? NO! I was simply being a responsible citizen and reporting an incident that could very likely have turned into a tragedy.

Waaaaay back in the day...

Three buddies and I were heading for the short cut to Brad's house nearby. The short cut was a direct line across the pond owned by a neighbor.

The pond owner was out raking and warned us not to go on his pond because the ice was too thin.

Of course, we went anyway. I was in back as the other three walked shoulder to shoulder in front of me.

Upon reaching the mid point of the pond Pete, the middle guy, dropped nearly out of sight. Only his head was above the water. The rest of us quickly hauled him straight back up and the shivering began.

We did out best to obscure the pond owner's view of what had just happened. We got Pete to Brad's house in about five minutes. It took him a long time for Pete to stop shaking. Our guess was that there was a soft spot due to a spring.

That was close enough for me!

Furthermore, when my husband was five years old, he came down a hill on his sled and went right through the ice on a pond. If his father hadn't witnessed it and immediately rescued him, he would have died -- if not from drowning, from hypothermia.

My point is -- an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I know I did the right thing in notifying the police of this dangerous situation on Lily Pond on Tuesday.

Here is a suggestion the next time you think someone is in danger while on a body of water:

Stop whatever you are doing if you really feel they are in danger, call 911, keep an eye on the person/s while help is on it's way.

Or just keep an eye on them until they are off the body of water.

Rusty: We DID stop and observe this person way out on Lily Pond for a minute or two, but are you saying that, rather than notifying the police, we should have simply sat there in the car watching him for however long he decided to stay out on the ice????? If he had gone through the ice, we would not have attempted to get to him anyway because the ice was so thin. Notifying the police and making them aware of this situation was, without a doubt, the SMARTEST course of action. I am blown away that any sensible person would think otherwise.

Every minute counts in a life and death situation. That's all I'm saying.

One question if I May: Would you have gone to the police if you hadn't have been at the Town Hall doing some other business?

I probably would not have.

This thread along with a number of other threads recently are getting blown out of proportion. Jeanzb1, you can't please everyone. I applaud you for bringing the issue of ice safety to our attention...that was clear in you first post.

Now every response after which is just feeding the trolls. :coolsm: IMO

Ice rescue
 

If you aren't already aware, a Gilford company has developed an ice rescue vehicle and is now marketing it. Interestingly, they did a lot of their initial testing on Lily Pond. Here's a link:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ai...-in-ice-rescue

[Disclaimer: I personally know the principals of this company. Independent of this, in my opinion, this craft is destined to save many lives.]

Yes, I have seen the water rescue vehicle on Lily Pond, just a week or two ago, as a matter of fact.

It's a wonderful life
 

Did your husband go on to become a Navy fighter pilot in the war and your father-in-law save the town of Pottersville :emb:

Watch that movie every year at this time...I love it!

The movie is "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart.

Steveo: We have no idea what you're talking about, but it's obviously a sarcastic comment. I thought this was a forum of adults; perhaps not.

You know, folks, I am about to become another Chase Lady. It's unfortunate because I have enjoyed this forum for the last six years, and I have learned a lot from it, but now I am beginning to feel bullied and ridiculed (for doing what I know was the right thing in notifying the Gilford police of a possible life-threatening situation.)

Jeanzb1,

It was not intended to be sarcastic, rather it was an attempt at humor and trying to lighten the direction of this thread. I had thought of posting a similar question as Steveo but he beat me to it.

Watch the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life". It's on almost every night at this time of year. You really only need to watch the first 15 minutes or so to understand the attempted joke.

I hope that anyone reading this thread took the time to watch the link that CRUSTY posted above here. While this is about a rescue vehicle, I can imagine how so many posters on the forum could use the idea as a way of getting out to the islands during the times between boating season and solid ice season. A scaled-up version could be used for so many other purposes on the lake.

You did nothing wrong JeanzB1. Stick to your guns and don't let anyone get you down.:)

Jeanz...
Here's my opinion.

What you did, alerting the police to a possible dangerous situation, was the absolute right thing to do. The majority of the time the "dangerous activity" reports are an over reaction by the public but other times they hold legitimate concern. In my city your information would have prompted a non emergency response, by fire or police, to check on the party in question. What happens after that is up to the responding unit.
The person you saw could have been an experienced ice fisherman or a naive kid walking on the first ice of the season. Good call.
25 years of responding to fire/EMS calls (many of them on ice)...that's what my opinion is based on. ;)

'tis the season...
 

I hope that you don't abandon the forum, it can be a rugged venue at times, but for the most part is a wonderful place... and I agree with MerryMeeting that the movie reference was just too close not to have been brought up, it was very clever and in good humor (quote below)

Hey folks, it's the holiday season, how about lightening it up a bit and being more jovial with all comments... Hey, if the Allied Force and Germans could do it in WWI on Christmas Day... can't we????

"Ho Ho Ho"... "who you calling a 'ho???" -PIG

p.s. "A Wonderful Life" is a wonderful movie, a must see classic, especially this time of year :)

Clarence: Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine.
George Bailey: That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!
Clarence: Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.

Forgive me for throwing in my .02 when maybe I should bite my tongue, or finger tips.....
For a while I have read many posts with inappropriate replies (imo) considering this web site was created to represent Winni and the Lakes Region of NH. Again, imo, there is way to much bickering between posters at times.

Winnipesaukee.com should be setting examples for this region of the U.S., showing off its beauty, and helping generate year round tourism.

People interested in vacationing here most likely will come to this site to do their investigating and look for things to do while their there. Instead there is a potential to read many disgruntle posts in many threads. Imo, the purpose of this site has gotten derailed a few to many times and doesn't represent the region in a positive light, some threads I feel, can be down right embarrassing.

Managing a site is a big task. Many other hobby sites I visit revert to temporary banning of the negative posters when circumstances get rude or inappropriate, causing the threads to get derailed. Posters return with a whole new attitude.

I guess in short, this site should be a positive for the area and it's residents.

All in all this is a great site, I enjoy it.

Sorry for the rant.

Jean, there is no need to leave the forum or to get upset. I was simply trying to make you understand that everyday folks need to take responsibility for their actions-- cross the border without authorization, rob a store, beat a police officer, resist arrest, walk out on thin ice, etc. it is always someone else's fault/problem, etc. Personal responsibility has been abandoned in this country and it makes me sad. My interpretation of your post was the police dispatcher didn't handle the job the way you thought it should have been handled. These days public opinion seems to be police officers can't do anything correct. In my opinion, the police in this country are taking unfair criticism for how they do their jobs and your comment hit a raw nerve. I apologize if I misunderstood you. Have a Merry Christmas. And by the way, don't forget to leave a Christmas bonus for your mailman.

Let it fly baby!
 

I love this stuff! I look forward to a thread that takes a turn for the worst. It becomes my little soap opera except online instead of on the tv. It helps me get through a boring day at work and keeps me checking in during long winter days.
Keep it coming!
-Denny Crane

Denny I couldn't agree more, everyone's individual thoughts and opinions keep me coming back too. People's sense of humor when put in writing often is interpreted with a twist and felt as a personal finger poke. Without body English or tone of voice to gauge comments, things seem to get tense rather quickly. I'm as guilty as anyone when I post, and I don't quite post correctly what I meant to say. I have gotten defensive replies, gone back to reread what I posted to find it could be interpreted different ways depending on what tone of voice, so to say, it's read in. I enjoy this site as much as being at the lake.

Fwiw to all, in my previous post, nothing was directed at 'A' poster or 'A' thread here.

Come on Jeanz, This was truly an attempt at humor. When I read your post about the sled down the hill into a pond it was the first thing I thought about. It is why I put the laughing avatar on it. :emb: Also the title of my post was: It's a Wonderful Life. We need to lighten up on this forum some and stop taking things so serious, especially this time of year.

Getting back to thin ice...
 

As a rule, I don't go onto any ice if I can avoid it. However I know that a lot of people do go out. While most try to do it safely a few, such as the person seen by Jeanzb1 do not understand the danger they pose to themselves and to the rescuers who will put their own lives in danger when the time comes to rescue/recover them.

NECN had a weather special on a couple nights ago that had a section on "thin ice" in Gilford. It includes how to determine thin --and "bad" ice-- along with some shots of surprise dunkings. At the end, they cover the new ice rescue vehicle developed in Gilford.

NECN has the video and text article available at:

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england...286224371.html

Is it Funny?
 

Thanks Jean.....A call or report could save a life

As a police officer, I am thankful for people like Jean who will say something when they see something unsafe. I have responded to many situations that turned out well because somebody bothered to report it. With that said, law enforcement enforces law. If something is not illegal, there is very little we can do about it. Even we can't save people from their own stupidity. I understand your frustration towards the dispatcher not thinking it was important. I'm sure they did think that somebody walking on new ice was dumb and important but what were they supposed to do about it? Did you stop and yell out to the guy and suggest he get off the ice ASAP? If not, maybe it wasn't that important after all. But it was important just enough to ask somebody else to say something to him.

And to make assumptions about Jean's personal feelings towards public servants based on one post is not fair.

And just to set the record straight here.....

We are both very politically conservative, support the NRA and the Second Amendment, are totally supportive of police and firemen, and are sickened at the horrific killings of the two police officers in New York City on Saturday.

My middle son was a member of the Bonneville Hot Shots for several years (an elite wilderness firefighting group based in Salt Lake City) and is now a search and rescue helicopter pilot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and he also has a fire contract. So we are all too familiar with the dangers police and firemen face on a daily basis.

So, therefore, for someone to sit behind the keyboard and cast us in a totally wrong and negative light is nasty. The point is......telling the police about a very unsafe situation (Lily Pond was wide open water 24 hours later) was the absolute right thing to do. I would expect any reasonable person to do the same. THE END.

Jeanzb1:

You are very quick in blasting people for forming an opinion about you when they don't know you, but you did the exact same thing to me without even an acknowledgement of a mistake. It was clear (and many on the forum commented so) that I was making a joke in reference to the movie It's a Wonderful Life. I take offense to you saying "...it's obviously a sarcastic comment" coming from a child. You don't know me, "now I am beginning to feel bullied and ridiculed"

Jean:

Peace and Merry Christmas.