Officials remind people to stay off the ice after ice rescue in Riverview

RIVERVIEW, Mich. (FOX 2) - An ice rescue in Riverview has officials warning community members to stay off the ice.

With temperatures warming up across Metro Detroit, ice may not be as thick as it appears.

"I know ice fishermen like to get out on the ice as soon as possible to catch those fish and kids like to get out and play hockey," said Lt. Gary Wiegand with Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division.

The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office says there’s a lot to keep in mind before you head out on the ice, some factors to take into consideration.

"The stance of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office is no ice is safe ice - you always have to be very careful when you’re doing any kind of recreational activity on the ice," he said. "You want to be very careful of current temperatures- depth of the water and the wind direction, very important on a lake, like Lake St. Claire. With the colder temperatures last week you did see right in this area - we had 8, 10, 12 feet of ice going off the shore, but as the wind direction changed, and the weekend brought a little warmer temperatures and some rain, that ice quickly melted away."

When it comes to ice rescues, leave that to the professionals.

"It is not a good idea if you see someone fall through the ice or even a pet, to traverse the ice yourself - if that person or pet fell through the ice, you can be assured you’re going to fall, through the ice also," he said. "The frigid water temperatures will rob the body of heat much quicker than just the air, so falling through the ice, falling into the water, you’re going to get hypothermic extremely fast, so a person will not have much time."