Winnipeg ice fishing deaths highlight importance of carbon monoxide detectors: fisherman
Posted February 3, 2021 4:17 pm.
Last Updated February 3, 2021 6:31 pm.
WINNIPEG (CityNews) – Fishermen are warning of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning after two Manitobans died while ice fishing over the weekend.
A man and a woman from Winnipeg were pronounced deceased in hospital after they were found unresponsive in their ice fishing tent on Manitoba’s Red River on Jan. 30.
RCMP believe carbon monoxide poisoning is a possible cause of death.
“It can happen very quickly,” said Rick Gergatz, a member of Lake Winnipeg Ice Report. “The circumstances in this case were just right. And it’s a terrible accident.
“It can happen to you in two to three hours.”
Gergatz is hoping to reach the influx of new ice fishermen, as well as the experienced crowd, with one simple message: buy a carbon monoxide detector.
“It is cheap assurance just to make sure you’re not overcome,” he said.
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Gergatz says portable heaters, commonly used to keep warm during ice fishing, can become deadly without warning.
“These apparatuses that they sell are not made for being inside an enclosure,” he said. “They state it right on the box. But everyone uses them for that purpose.”
Any kind of combustion uses up oxygen, which can cause a heater to become inefficient and start generating carbon monoxide.
“You may feel a little drowsy, but that’s the only warning you may have,” said Gergatz.
He says simply opening the flaps on ice fishing tents won’t necessarily protect you, as they could freeze or the wind could change.
He says the couple who succumbed over the weekend were experienced. Fishermen nearby called emergency services after smelling propane from their tent and discovering them unresponsive.
As Manitobans flock to the frozen waterways during code red restrictions, Gergatz is very worried about more incidents like this.
“It’s very important for kids, because kids can’t take as much carbon monoxide as an adult can. And it doesn’t take very much.”
He’s giving away carbon monoxide detectors through a contest on his Facebook page. He says Manitobans can also buy them for about $35 at most hardware stores.
