Pittsburgh officials urge people to stay off frozen rivers
After getting hit with some of the coldest temperatures Pittsburgh has seen in some time, people are venturing out and walking on the city's frozen rivers. However, city officials are warning against it.
KDKA caught groups of people making their way onto the icy rivers over the weekend, and Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist said on Monday that the department got several emergency alerts, some coming after photos and videos were posted on social media.
Gilchrist said she doesn't think people understand the dangers. It takes about 4 to 5 inches of solid ice to hold an adult, and when it comes to rivers, there's no way to know where the ice is thicker or thinner. Also, the water is still actively moving underneath the ice, so if someone falls in, they could be swept away.
She said this can be the case no matter how deep the water is.
"Accidents by nature are something that hopefully is preventable. But it's just something that happens, but don't put yourself at risk to get injured, because our first responders have to put their lives on the line to help you, and it's not fair to them to have to put themselves in danger just because you think it's a fun activity," Gilchrist said.
Even in all of their special gear, first responders are at risk for hypothermia. Gilchrist said it could take less than 10 minutes for someone to become hypothermic enough to cause permanent damage to their health.
You don't want this to be you, so even though stepping on the ice isn't illegal, first responders are encouraging everyone to go to an ice rink if you want to go skating.