Short Wave The dangers of warming winter lakes
7 snips
Feb 27, 2026 
Justin Tooze, a Madison firefighter who trains on ice rescues, and Burley McCoy, a field reporter covering winter lake ice. They walk through festival life on frozen lakes. They explain safe vs unsafe ice, demonstrate rescue drills and immersion suits. They highlight deceptive thaw‑refreeze shelves and how warming winters shorten ice seasons and raise risk for people on the ice.
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Festival On A Frozen Lake In Madison
- Burley attended Frozen Assets on Lake Mendota where people ice skate, hockey, curling, kite, and even a skydiver landed on the ice.
- Burley notes the lake had 14 inches of ice that year, but organizers worry Mendota might not freeze in future winters.
Minimum Black Ice Thickness For Walking
- Hillary Dugan advises that four inches of black ice is the minimum considered safe for a person to walk on.
- She distinguishes black ice as clear, strong ice formed from lake water versus weaker white ice formed from frozen snow or slush.
Riding The Rescue Sled During Training
- Burley joined Justin Tooze and Madison's Lake Rescue Team for a training exercise on Lake Monona, wearing an immersion 'Gumby' suit and practicing an entry and sled extraction.
- The team practiced near a river inflow where open water and ice cracks form, then floated and were pulled out using an ice-anchored rope and rescue sled.