Local Schools Learn About Winter Safety

Michigan winters are not for the faint of heart. Which is why a few special guests came to local schools yesterday to teach kids about winter safety.

Assemblies were held at Wilson School, as well as Immanual Lutheral. The combined effort, put on by Michigan State University and MidMichigan, educated students on important topics like knowing when it’s safe to walk on ice, and the importance of dressing for the weather. The cold weather and large bodies of water surrounding northeast Michigan are both huge reasons why schools felt kids needed this lesson today.

The kids even got a special demonstration from a local fireman, who showed them the heavy duty gear he would wear in case he had to rescue one of them from falling through the ice. Lieutenant Andy from the city of Alpena fire department said with the recent warmer weather, they’re seeing more people falling through the ice.

“Just be safe. Every day the ice is changing, especially right now with our temperatures changing so much. In the next two days, we’re talking about have some 50-degree weather. Ice that was safe one day, may not be safe the next,” Lieutenant Andy says.

Fireman Andy, as the kids called him, encouraged kids to stay off the ice at this time, but also to use the buddy system so that if someone were to fall through the ice, the other person would be there to call for help.