"Ice falling" incidents are entering a high incidence period! Remember these "ice" mitigation strategies to save your life at critical moments →

At present, as the temperature drops, many rivers in the north have frozen over, and some seemingly solid ice surfaces may hide risks. Since the beginning of winter, many places in northern my country have experienced a series of dangerous situations where ice surfaces have broken and people have fallen into the water.

On December 10, 2024, in Fushun, Liaoning, a middle school student accidentally fell into an ice river while crossing the river, and firefighters rushed to the scene for emergency rescue.

Finally, with the help of rescuers on the shore, the girl was successfully rescued. After landing, the girl showed symptoms of hypothermia, but fortunately she was not seriously injured after treatment.

On December 14, 2024, in Fanhe New District, Tieling, Liaoning Province, a 70-year-old man was skating on the ice when the ice broke and he fell into the icy water and was trapped. The place where he fell into the water was about 200 meters away from the shore.

Fire rescue personnel used a safety rope to drag the trapped person to a safe area. The elderly man was rushed to the hospital for treatment and fortunately he was not seriously injured.

On December 29, 2024, in Cang County, Hebei Province, a man accidentally fell into an ice cave while fishing on the ice.

When the fire rescue personnel arrived, they broke the ice with their own bodies and successfully rescued the man.

We remind you that some ice surfaces may seem solid but may also be dangerous, especially in some wild ice rinks, where there may be ice holes dug out during wild fishing. Do not play or walk on the ice, and do not skate or fish on the ice, etc., to avoid accidents.

If you unfortunately fall into water on the ice, how can you save yourself and others correctly?

Interesting fact: Can a down jacket save your life if you accidentally fall into the water?

If we fall from the ice into the water, the first thing we need to do is to ensure that we can float on the water. Some netizens have suggested that down jackets can save lives when falling into the water. Is this statement reasonable? Firefighters conducted an experiment.

Before the test, firefighters prepared several pieces of clothing in advance, including a thick down jacket, a thin down jacket, and a cotton jacket to conduct a floating test after falling into the water. They first tested the situation of falling into the water while wearing a thick down jacket.

The test lasted about 10 minutes, and the firefighter was still floating on the water. Then the firefighter simulated struggling in the water and then relaxing, and the part above the neck was still able to float on the water. After landing, the down jacket had absorbed a lot of water. Afterwards, the firefighter put on a thin down jacket and went into the water for another test.

Image source: CCTV News video screenshot

Yao Xiangyu, from the News and Publicity Section of Yangzhou Fire Rescue Detachment: I struggled for a bit after falling into the water, but now I am still held up by this thin down jacket. However, it is obviously not as buoyant as a thick down jacket. My entire lower body is hanging underneath, and the entire down jacket has floated up. It seems like there is air on this side, which holds up my head above the neck.

Afterwards, the firefighters simulated the situation of struggling in the water and found that the buoyancy of the thin down jacket gradually decreased as the time it was immersed in water increased.

Yao Xiangyu, from the News and Publicity Section of Yangzhou Fire Rescue Detachment: I tried to struggle, and I felt a little gas leaking out. Now the buoyancy seems to be a little smaller.

In the subsequent comparative test, the cotton clothes filled with polyester fiber could only support the firefighters floating on the water for about two minutes.

Yao Xiangyu, from the News and Publicity Section of the Yangzhou Fire Rescue Detachment: The cotton-padded jacket takes on water very quickly and I am starting to fall down. Once I come up, I feel it is very heavy. The water it absorbs is two or three times heavier than my down jacket, and it is like carrying two buckets of water.

We can see that whether it is a thick down jacket or a thin down jacket, it can indeed provide a certain amount of support to the person who falls into the water through buoyancy. The test also found that if the person who falls into the water is nervous and keeps struggling, it may damage the buoyancy of the down jacket. Therefore, if you happen to be wearing a down jacket when you accidentally fall into the water, don't be too nervous, relax your body, and try to float to the shore.

Comprehensive sources: WeChat official account of the Ministry of Emergency Management, CCTV News, etc.