RUMFORD — Anxious to start skating or fishing?

  You might want to err on the side of caution and steer clear of Maine’s ponds and lakes this month.

The Maine Warden Service began urging people Thursday to stay off any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways after a few days and nights of freezing temperatures.

“Throughout Maine, the state’s lakes and ponds may appear to be frozen in parts or their entirety, but safe ice conditions cannot be assumed even though temperatures have been below freezing in recent days and at night,” service spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte stated in a report.

Additionally, any snow covering thin layers of ice acts as insulation and slows the freezing process.

“There are no safe ice conditions anywhere in the state right now,” Col. Joel Wilkinson, chief warden of the Maine Warden Service, said Thursday.

“I understand that people are anxious to begin winter activities, such as ice fishing and snowmobiling. But don’t risk your life or the lives of others by traveling onto thin ice,” Wilkinson added.

As temperatures continue to fall in the coming weeks, and ice begins to thicken, the Warden Service is recommending that people check the thickness of any ice before venturing out for any activity on frozen water.

If you must go on the ice this winter, the warden service offers these tips for ice safety:

• Never guess the thickness of the ice — check it! Check the ice in several different places using an auger or some other means to make a test hole and determine the thickness. Make several, beginning at the shore, and continuing as you go out.

• Check the ice with a partner, so if something does happen, someone is there to help you. If you are doing it alone, wear a life jacket.

• If ice at the shoreline is cracked or squishy, stay off! Watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice. Dark snow and dark ice are other signs of weak spots.

• Avoid areas with currents, around bridges and pressure ridges. Wind and currents can break ice.

• Parents should alert children of unsafe ice in their area, and make sure that they stay off the ice. If they insist on using their new skates, suggest an indoor skating rink.

And, if you do break through the ice, remember:

• Don’t panic.

• Don’t try to climb out immediately — you will probably break the ice again. Reach for solid ice.

• Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. Once on the ice, roll — don’t walk — to safety.

• To help someone who has fallen through the ice, lie down flat and reach with a branch, plank or rope, or form a human chain. Don’t stand. After securing the victim, wiggle backward to the solid ice.

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Fractured sheets of ice creaked and cracked Thursday afternoon on the east end of Wilson Pond in Wilton as wind-driven waves refused to let the ice set up for the winter. the Maine Warden Service is urging people not to venture onto ponds and lakes this month despite a few days of freezing temperatures.