What to Do If You Fall Through Ice (and How to Help)

If you fall through ice, keep your winter clothes on, turn back toward the way you came, put your arms on the unbroken ice, kick your legs and pull yourself out, then roll away from the hole. If someone else falls in, call 911 and help from shore by reaching or throwing; do not walk out to the hole.

These steps come from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which deals with ice every winter. Read them now, while you're warm, so you'll remember them if you ever need them.

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If you fall in: breathe, turn back, kick and roll

The Minnesota DNR says: first, try not to panic. This may be easier said than done, unless you have worked out a survival plan in advance (opens in a new tab). Here is that plan.

1. Get your breathing under control. The cold will make you gasp. The National Weather Service says cold water immersion can trigger involuntary gasping, rapid breathing or hyperventilating (opens in a new tab). Keep your head up and focus on your breathing. The Canadian Safe Boating Council says to concentrate on avoiding panic and getting control of your breathing (opens in a new tab) during these first moments.

2. Keep your winter clothes on. The DNR says: heavy clothes won't drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation (opens in a new tab).

3. Turn back the way you came. Turn toward the direction you came. That's probably the strongest ice. (opens in a new tab)

4. Get your arms onto the ice. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface (opens in a new tab). This is where ice picks help most (see below).

5. Kick and pull. Kick your feet and dig in your ice picks to work your way back onto the solid ice (opens in a new tab). If your clothes are full of water, the DNR says you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward (opens in a new tab).

6. Roll away. Lie flat on the ice once you are out and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out (opens in a new tab). Stay low until you're well away from the hole.

7. Get warm and get checked. Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area and re-warm yourself immediately (opens in a new tab). The DNR says that in moderate to severe cases of cold water hypothermia, you must seek medical attention (opens in a new tab).

Act quickly. The National Center for Cold Water Safety says that in very cold water, it's possible to lose the use of your hands in under a minute (opens in a new tab). Getting out early, while you still have strength, matters. See cold water shock and the 1-10-1 rule.

Ice picks and other tools

Getting out is the hard part. The Minnesota DNR says pulling yourself out of cold water onto a smooth, wet surface with numb fingers is extremely difficult (opens in a new tab), and a sharp set of ice picks gives you the best chance of pulling yourself out (opens in a new tab). Its survival page notes that a pair of nails, sharpened screwdrivers or ice picks (opens in a new tab) can give you the traction you need.

The DNR's gear list for anyone going onto natural ice:

• A foam life jacket or flotation suit. The DNR says it may be the No. 1 item that will keep you alive if you fall through the ice (opens in a new tab), and that inflatable life jackets are not recommended for cold-water activities (opens in a new tab).
• Ice picks, worn where you can reach them instantly.
• An emergency whistle. The DNR notes that some people have had difficulty calling out because of the cold shock response (opens in a new tab).
• A chisel or drill and a tape measure to check the ice as you go. See how thick ice needs to be.
• A cell phone, kept dry and handy.

Helping someone: call 911, then reach or throw from shore

When someone else falls through, the hardest thing is to stay off the ice. The Minnesota DNR says: first, call 911 for help (opens in a new tab), and resist the urge to run up to the edge of the hole. This would most likely result in two victims in the water (opens in a new tab).

From shore, use the first steps the DNR teaches:

• Preach. Shout to the victim to encourage them to fight to survive and reassure them that help is on the way (opens in a new tab).
• Reach. If you can safely reach the victim from shore, extend an object such as a rope, ladder or jumper cables (opens in a new tab). If the person starts to pull you in, release your grip on the object and start over. (opens in a new tab)
• Throw. Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Have them tie the rope around themselves before they are too weakened by the cold to grasp it. (opens in a new tab)

Don't go. The DNR says a non-professional shouldn't go out on the ice to perform a rescue unless all other basic rescue techniques have been ruled out (opens in a new tab), and warns that heroics by well-meaning but untrained rescuers sometimes result in two deaths (opens in a new tab). NYC Parks says the same: never attempt to make a rescue by yourself: call 911 and notify the proper authorities, and give the exact location (opens in a new tab).

If you can't reach them, keep talking. The DNR advises you to keep reassuring the victim that help is on the way and urge them to fight to survive (opens in a new tab).

Pets. If a dog goes through, the same rule applies. The DNR says do not risk your life to attempt to save a pet or other animal (opens in a new tab). Call 911 and stay on shore.

For the general rule, see reach or throw, don't go.

After the rescue: warm up and get checked

Getting out is the start of recovery, not the end. The National Weather Service says even removed from cold water, a victim's core temperature can continue to drop to dangerous levels (opens in a new tab).

The steps NWS shares, developed by the American Red Cross:

• Call 911 or the local emergency number. (opens in a new tab)
• Gently move the person to a warm place. (opens in a new tab)
• Monitor breathing and circulation. Give rescue breathing and CPR, if needed. (opens in a new tab)
• Remove any wet clothing and dry the person. (opens in a new tab)
• Warm the person slowly by wrapping them in blankets or putting on dry clothing. (opens in a new tab)
• Do not warm the person too quickly. Do not immerse the person in warm water. (opens in a new tab)
• Warm the core first (trunk and abdomen), not the hands and feet. (opens in a new tab)

The Minnesota DNR explains why gentle warming matters: as the body rewarms, cold blood trapped in the arms and legs can rush back to the heart, and the shock may cause a dangerous heart rhythm (opens in a new tab). That's why medical care matters even if the person seems fine. Learn the signs in hypothermia after cold water.

What you can do today

• Read the seven self-rescue steps above with everyone who goes on the ice with you.
• If you fish, skate or walk on natural ice, buy a pair of ice picks and a foam life jacket.
• Keep a rope in your car or by the lake in winter, for reaching and throwing from shore.
• Teach your children: if someone falls through, we call 911 and stay off the ice.
• Print the reach-or-throw poster for your cabin, ice house or community board.

For a fall from a boat or dock instead, see what to do if you fall into cold water.