The WFD is reminding everyone to stay off the ice after incidents in Hamilton and Owen Sound over the weekend.
WOODSTOCK - We're getting our first taste of spring weather here in Oxford County.
With the milder temperatures melting all of the snow away, Lisa Woods with the Woodstock Fire Department (WFD) would like to remind everyone that no ice is safe ice.
"We say that all year round, but with the warmer weather that we've been enjoying and will continue to enjoy for the next couple of days at least, the ice is unsafe. Make sure that your pets, yourself, and your kids know it is not safe to go on the ice."
Woods is stressing this message, especially after what happened in Hamilton and Owen Sound over the weekend.
"Whether you find a thick piece and it separates as it did in Owen Sound and people ended up two kilometres out, or you just step on a thin piece and go through as in Hamilton, it's dangerous and hypothermia can hit very quickly."
Twenty-three people had to be rescued in Owen Sound yesterday, after the ice shelf they were standing on in Georgian Bay separated and drifted about two kilometres from shore. Two people also fell through the ice in Hamilton on Saturday, but police say six people had to be pulled from Lake Ontario when emergency crews arrived on scene.
Woods says Woodstock firefighters have not responded to any ice rescues so far this year and they would like to keep it that way.
The WFD underwent ice rescue training in St. Mary's about two weeks ago. The annual training session lasts several days, with in house and on ice training sessions, to make sure all firefighters are ready to respond in an emergency situation.

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