NORTHAMPTON — Frozen lakes and ponds invite enchanted winter sports enthusiasts outside for classic wintertime festivities. But despite the fun, a fact remains: ice is a potential danger.

Days after a goldendoodle fell through the ice and could not be recovered in Northampton’s Mill River last week, local fire officials urged caution and reiterated standard safety measures, while local ice fanatic Tom Adams of Williamsburg encourages “common sense” when heading out onto the ice to prevent frostbite, hypothermia, or worse.

The most important rule of thumb, officials said, is to never trust ice over a body of moving water — one that has a flow or current — as rivers and streams are never safe for skating or recreational activity.

Meanwhile, lakes, ponds and still bodies of water must have ice at least 4 inches of ice for it to be safe for a single person to walk or ice fish on, according to official recommendations for ice safety, and anything less than 2 inches is unsafe. A thickness of 5 inches or more can support a snowmobile, and 8 to 12 inches would support as much as a car or small pickup.

Water freezes more slowly than the ground, so even following days of consistent freezing temperatures the water may not yet be solid, officials warn.

Fire Chiefs Andy Pelis of Northampton and Lindsay Stromgren of Amherst noted that local spots often attract people for their ice — spots that are often unsafe, including Mill River and Puffer’s Pond in Amherst.

Mill River, for instance, is a place that Northampton residents have reportedly seen both children and curious photographers walking on the ice, just days before the goldendoodle disappeared under the ice last week, according to South Street resident Elissa Alford. However, Pelis firmly said this is never a safe area, being a river and, therefore, a moving body of water.

When a person falls through the ice, their body can go into shock from the rapid change in temperature. Once a person’s core body temperature drops to 95 degrees, they officially become hypothermic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Stromgren said determining ice’s safety requires knowledge of inlets and discharges of natural bodies of water to help assess the thickness and durability of a sheet of ice. Stromgren said no member of his department would ever recommend a resident go on any frozen body of water — whether a moving body such as a river or steam or even a still body like a lake or pond — due to the numerous variables involved with ice safety.

Any sheet of ice, he said, is “potentially problematic.”

Puffer’s Pond, which has seen many ice-related incidents including one in 2019 in which a hockey player was saved from the water, features an inlet from Cushman Brook on one side and a dam discharge on the other. These form a current of water running through the center of the pond, which he said compromises its safety even when the pond appears frozen.

Ice enthusiasts

But as a lifelong ice enthusiast, Adams says that as real as the dangers are, don’t let them keep you inside or off the ice.

For him, two local places to skate, ice fish, or hang out that “freeze real well” are the DAR State Forest in Goshen and the Oxbow in Easthampton and Northampton. There are, “so many more in western MA,” he said, that are highlighted on Western Mass Ice Skaters, a Facebook page which he serves as the admin for.

The page formed to grow a community for followers to talk about local, safe venues to skate while sharing “the fun of it all.”

Adams, who grew up as a Sabres hockey fan from New York and who now lives in Williamsburg, said, “It’s the best feeling ever being on a lake with perfectly glass ice,” but also advised ice seekers to “use common sense” by being aware of moving water, currents, and other factors that can weaken ice as officials recommended.

He advises those interested in skating or traveling across ice to pack safety gear. This may include warm, layered clothing; ice picks and ice cleats, and potentially life jackets or a rope.

For Adams, there are always three things packed: an ice picker, a hockey stick for support with balancing on the ice, and a whistle in the case of an emergency. Often he said many skaters will also wear a flotation device.

And as a seasoned skater he shared how he is able to identify the safety of ice based on its tint.

“The ice should be a clear blue color. Color is one of the key clues to determining whether the ice will hold your weight. If it’s clear and blue, it’s likely safe. Opaque white ice isn’t quite as strong, while gray or black indicates that there’s water present; the ice may be melting or have air pockets. Keep in mind that even if it is the ideal crystal blue, you’ll still want to always be alert,” he said.

Tips for staying safe

The state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife offers the following ice tips:

■New ice is stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.

■Ice doesn’t freeze uniformly. Continue to check ice conditions frequently as you venture out onto the ice.

■ Avoid traveling onto ice-bound rivers and streams, as the currents make ice thickness unpredictable. Many lakes and ponds may contain spring holes and other areas of currents that can create deceptively dangerous thin spots.

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>Tell someone your plans, including where you are going and when you expect to return.

■Come prepared. Carry a cellphone in case of emergency. Always carry ice picks and rope with you on the ice. In case of emergency, drive the nails into the ice and pull yourself to safety while kicking (see tips for falling in below).

■Wear your life jacket. If you fall in, a life jacket will keep you at the surface and can provide insulation against the effects of cold water.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.