SUAMICO (NBC 26) — A man is dead getting pulled out of icy waters on Monday evening in the village of Suamico, according to the Suamico Fire Department.
- See the spot where a De Pere man was ice fishing before falling through the ice into the frigid water
- Hear from a neighbor who got to the scene before firefighters Monday evening
- Fire Chief Joe Bertler shares safety tips for going on ice
- Bertler says no matter what precautions you take, safety can never be guaranteed on ice
An 87-year-old De Pere man was ice fishing on a friend's private property off of Bayside road in Suamico Monday when the ice broke and he fell in.
"The neighbor just to the south of us, he called me. He heard the cries for help," neighbor Tom Drzewiecki said. "All my instincts kicked in to get this guy back to shore."
Drzewiecki has run a business where he salvages things like boats and cars from under the ice for more than three decades. He said he and two other neighbors arrived just minutes before the firefighters.
"We shined their flashlight over there to see him in the water right next to his sled, in about three feet of water," Drzewiecki said.
When firefighters arrived just before 5 o'clock Suamico Fire Chief Joe Bertler said the most difficult part was locating the man in the water in the dark with so much vegetation.
"We pulled him ashore, started lifesaving measures on him and unfortunately he was unable to survive," Bertler said.
He now urges the community to be careful when going out on a frozen-over body of water. Ice should be at least four inches thick to be safe for ice fishing, and it should be about a foot thick for cars and small trucks to drive on it.
"We need the nice, you know, below freezing days," Bertler said. "No snow on the bay or any lake to make that nice, solid ice. We just haven't got that yet."
Bertler said to always try to ice fish with another person and let someone know where you are going and when you should be back. Wearing a life jacket, having an ice pick and cell phone with you are also important.
If you do fall through ice, Bertler said to take off your clothes. When they get wet, they can weigh you down, making it harder to get out of the water.
"[The late ice fisherman] probably went out there numerous times in years past," Bertler said. "When you've been doing something for so long, it becomes routine, you don't think of those things that potentially could happen."
"Just because we have one or two cold nights doesn't mean that this ice is ready," Drzewiecki said.
