[fatlazyless]

"An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure": attributed to Benjamin Franklin, February 4, 1735, in The Pennsylvania Gazette. He was talking about fire prevention with regard to a fireplace fire in one's home.

So, the proverbial 'elephant in the room' here is that none of the three February 11-Derby Day drowning victims, three males, ages 15-62-67 was wearing flotation while snowmobiling on the frozen lake, neither a 5" diameter noodle float belt, or a pfd.

Wal-Mart has 5"-diameter x 44" long noodles in green, red and blue, sold in the summer, for 5.29, and all year around, has USCG-approved, standard pfd's in red or blue in three distinct sizes; child-youth-adult, for 9.94-each.

Do the NH F&G officers wear kevlar, bullet stopping vests? Could be that wearing a kevlar vest and a pfd at the same time is not very doable? But, wearing a kevlar vest and a 5" diameter noodle, float belt, is very doable when riding a snowmobile...... and it would set a good example for others out on the ice, when they saw the F&G officers wearing noodle float belts for ice flotation safety. Cheap to make, about six dollars for the noodle and a length of line to thread through the center hole; easy to wear over your coat; easy to put on, easy to take off, and can be used as a flotation rescue tool to be tossed to a victim, or to retrieve a victim with a line, or by hand, or to do a self-rescue for yourself. While not all noodles are particularly sturdy, these 5" diameter noodles are dense foam flotation, sturdy, and bendable into a circle float belt with a sturdy line threaded down through the center hole, and tied off with a knot, making a good fit for you.....not too tight....not too loose....but, just right.

Two 5" or 6" steel nails, or thin, aluminum, designer tent stakes (Wal-Mart), can be inserted directly into the foam belt to be used as ice rescue picks.....at the ready ..... at the time ...... worn like a belt ..... or, tossed 20' like a Frisbee.....as needed!