Liam Beran
Ice fishing on Monona Bay on Friday, January 3rd, 2025.
Ice fishing on Monona Bay on a frigid January morning. A spokesperson for the city's fire department says 'no ice is safe ice.'
On a recent bright Friday morning, people were fishing by their ice shanties on frozen-over Monona Bay. Ice thickness on the bay’s west side on Jan. 3, according to users on the freshwater fishing forum Lake-Link, was around 4 to 5 inches, above the recommended 4-inch minimum for walking on ice.
But temperatures had been in the 40s just days before and some passersby were frustrated that people were still taking to the ice.
“Just drove past multiple people wandering around on the ice on Monona Bay. WHY,” Reddit user bicyclesformicycles asked the Madison subreddit on Dec. 31, when thickness was around the 4-inch mark. “Relatedly, I’ve been wondering about who pays for our annual ice/water rescues? Taxpayers? Can you get fined for being dumb enough to fall through the ice?”
According to the Madison Fire Department, whose lake rescue team responds to ice rescues, and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the answer is no: taxpayers cover the costs through the departments’ operating budgets.
“There is no fine for ice rescues or other special rescues,” says Cynthia Schuster, Madison Fire Department public information officer, in an email. But, she adds, “If someone is transported by ambulance, then there is an ambulance fee.”
Schuster says there are no laws or local ordinances to implement a fine and public officials don’t want to discourage people from seeking aid during a life-threatening situation on the ice.
“When we’re called to such a situation, it’s our duty to respond and provide the necessary services without judgment and without discrimination,” Schuster says.
People can also incur costs if an ice shanty or all-terrain vehicle were to fall through the ice, says Elise Schaffer, spokesperson for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. In such cases, the owner must pay for the object's removal.
Though there is nothing legally preventing people from embarking on ice, city and county officials say the ice is never completely safe. Day-to-day changes in air temperature, the intensity of waterflow and weather conditions can make ice surfaces more or less dangerous, says Schuster. And frequent use of water-moving aeration devices means smaller bodies of water are not necessarily safer, she adds.
Falling into frozen water can be very dangerous. According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, cold water “shock” from decreased body temperature sets in immediately, and people can suffer hypothermia or drown. The group recommends that there be four inches of clear ice before people set foot on a frozen lake.
Schaffer recommends those going on the ice bring flotation equipment and ice safety spikes and inform a family member or friend where they will be and when they expect to return.
