No ice is 100 percent break-proof, but there are a few ways you can judge whether or not going out into the middle of a frozen lake is a good idea.

Luckily, Homer has a long, safe history with its frozen lakes, said Fire Chief Bob Painter.

The Homer ice rescue team has had to perform just one rescue in Homer and that was for a Labrador.

"Basically they just need to follow the guidelines of thickness before they walk. We sometimes get calls for pets that fall through the ice, but that's usually pets falling through on shore ice which is usually a little thinner," said Painter.

With Beluga Lake sporting a new sheen of ice on top and a dusting of recent snow, some eager winter sport enthusiasts may be lacing up their skates and clipping into their skis, but the Alaska Department of Public Safety urges caution.

Ice strength relies on age, thickness, temperature, snow cover, depth of water under ice, and the size of the body of water, currents, water chemistry, local climatic conditions and how load sits on a given area.

Signs of weak ice include varying colors, sticks and logs sticking through the ice, slush or snow on top, bubbles or water on the surface, cracks, pressure ridges, water running beneath the ice or open water in the middle at the surface.

For just a stroll across a lake without stopping, Alaska State Troopers advise that ice should be at least two inches thick. For more stationary activities like ice fishing there should be at least four inches of ice. Snowmachines and ATVs should keep to dry land until at least five inches of solid ice have formed.

Older ice is not as strong as new ice, and river ice is not as sure or steady as lake ice.

If the ice below your feet lets out a crack, then try and do the best you can to spread out, distribute your weight, lay down on your stomach and try to crawl to a safe spot.

If you fall through the ice keep kicking your feet and swimming upwards. Get your arms out and on top of the ice and work to swim up and pull yourself out.

If you see someone fall through the ice, contact emergency services immediately and try and get the victim out with a pole, branch or rope but do not try and pull them out by getting near the hole, as the ice around a break is often very brittle and would-be rescuers often find themselves in the drink as well.

From Painter's experience there is one other helpful guideline to be followed if someone falls through the ice.

"Keep the person in sight. Keep visual contact on the victim all the time. Keep yelling words of encouragement so they don't give up."

When a person is unable to climb out of a hole in the ice, a combination of the cold, frustration and physical exhaustion come quickly, but keeping above the ice is the best strategy for survival, said Painter.

"Once they go under the water it's hard to find them again. Chance of survival diminishes greatly if we have to search for them," he said.

For the most part, the inland lakes around Homer sport thick strong ice and are safe for winter activities.

"The most problems we run into is when the harbor freezes up and what people don't realize is that saltwater ice usually isn't as strong as the fresh water ice. It's a lot harder to affect any kind of a rescue there than it is in the lake," said Painter.