AUBURN, Mass. - Spectrum News 1's Dan Reidy spent some time with the Auburn Fire Department Thursday to talk about ice safety. 

"All ice is not safe ice," firefighter Brian Sheridan said. "There's a lot of variables to ice safety."

Sheridan said the thickness of the ice, the conditions of how the water froze and the unpredictability of nature are variables making frozen ponds and lakes dangerous.

"You're not really sure how thick it is, you're not sure how strong it is," Sheridan said. "So, treat all ice as if it's going to fail underneath you."

Sheridan said thankfully his District 7 team hasn't had to respond to any ice incidents so far this year. He said many times, it's people who are on the ice when they shouldn't be, or people who try to save animals who have fallen through.

"If your dog does fall through the ice, don't go out on the ice to try to rescue the dog," Sheridan said. "Call us, we certainly will come out and help."

If you do happen to fall through the ice, Sheridan shared some tips to try to get out of the freezing cold water.

"So, you can try to tread water, you can try to get out of the ice yourself - real slow motions, don't fight the buoyancy, mother nature is going to win," Sheridan said. "But work and push down on the ice. Try to get yourself as horizontal as possible and push down and pull yourself out of the ice."

Sheridan said rolling away from the spot you've fallen through is key as the ice may continue to break around you.​

The Auburn Fire Department said hypothermia and injuries can happen within minutes of falling through frozen lakes or ponds. They recommend skating at indoor rinks or safe outdoor spots like town commons.​