DENVER (KDVR) — South Metro Fire Rescue and other firefighter teams across the metro are passing along the simple reminder not to venture onto any icy ponds, despite colder temperatures.

This week alone, South Metro Fire responded to one ice rescue call, and the next day, Brighton Fire Rescue saved a woman and two dogs from an icy pond.

“The ice in Denver is never safe,” Capt. Greg Pixley, with the Denver Fire Department, said.

Pixley said the swing in temperatures the metro area sees during the wintertime can make the stability of icy ponds deceiving, but people and pets should never venture out on them.

“We just saw 60 degrees a couple weeks ago to the 6 degrees a day or two ago,” Pixley said.

He said it’s a pet owner’s instinct to go in after their dogs if they fall through the ice, but he said that isn’t the right thing to do. He said instead call 911 and wait on shore.

What to do if your dog falls through ice

“An important reminder for viewers: If a person is trying to rescue a dog that falls in, they will always be rescued first,” South Metro Fire Rescue said in a statement. “That means a dog may suffer longer because rescuers are focused on saving a human life instead of the dog they love. The best advice is to stay onshore, call 911 and firefighters who are trained and equipped will rescue the dog safely.”

In 2022, South Metro has had 10 calls for people on or through the ice and one call for an animal through the ice.

That’s compared to 2021, when they had three calls for people on or through the ice and three calls for only an animal through the ice.

Pixley said in 2021, Denver Fire had 16 ice rescues.