A Town of Cochrane employee was operating an ice resurfacing machine on Mitford Pond after 10 a.m. Friday morning (Dec. 13) when the machine broke through the ice near the pond's shoreline.
The employee wasn't injured and was able to exit the machine and reach the shore without assistance.
At the time of the incident there was a sign at the site that advised that the ice surface was closed to skating. After the incident Jeff Avery of Cochrane Fire Services erected dangerous ice warning signs around the community at retention ponds and other bodies of water.
"The weather has been cold as of late; however, the retention ponds around town remain off limits as the ice is very unstable," Avery said on Friday.
"The ice can be thick in some spots, and open water in other spots. Water levels can be up to your waist in some spots, to well over your head in others."
Avery said the only two places that the town permits the public to skate is the Tim Bannister Memorial Rink on Ross Avenue and Mitford pond off Westside Drive. It's unclear when Mitford Pond will reopen.
This is the first incident of its kind involving a town-owned piece of equipment on a natural ice surface, said Brad Luft, manager of parks and open spaces for the Town of Cochrane. Luft said the Town of Cochrane is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment and employees undergo extensive health and safety orientation upon hire, and continue to receive safety training on an ongoing basis.
"In the case of ice surfaces employees are trained to follow the Government of Alberta Best Practice for Building and Working Safely on Ice Covers," Luft said.
"A Town of Cochrane Safe Operating Procedure is also in place for working on ice surfaces, the procedure includes an emergency response plan which prepares employees to deal with an incident which may occur." He added that the ice surface is tested for thickness at various stages of the procedure and best practice thresholds are followed for the various stages of establishment.
The Town of Cochrane is currently investigating the incident, but haven't been able to determine the exact cause for the ice failure. So far the town has determined that all safety protocols were in place and followed by the employee. Luft says all findings from the investigation will be taken into consideration as the town reviews their practices and ice working procedure around the incident.
"If anyone sees kids playing on the ice on the ponds throughout Cochrane then don’t hesitate to call 911," said Avery.
"Cochrane Fire Services responds to numerous accidents over the course of a year and a lot of the accidents are unavoidable. Ice rescue to me is not an accident, it is a completely avoidable incident. It is very simple, stay off the ice and there will be no incident."
Updated skating conditions are available by calling the outdoor facility status line at 403-851-2552.
