CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The well-below-freezing temperatures can make for great skating on your local pond, but can also lead to life-threatening injuries. Ice skating on your local pond is a staple of New England winters, but taking extra precautions can mean the difference between staying above or below the lake. Deer rescued from frozen lake in Berkshire County Lieutenant Tony Spear with the West Springfield Fire Department told 22News to follow guidance from the local parks and recreation department. "I'd wait for them to do it because usually the way that they're going to verify that is by drilling through the ice and checking the actual depth of the ice," Spear said. "You're looking for about 4 inches of thickness to be safe to go out and skate. You need a little bit more if you're gonna be doing anything like snowmobiling." Despite temperatures being well below freezing throughout the week, that doesn't mean it's exactly safe to go on frozen ponds and it could result in life-threatening injuries. A deer was recently rescued from a frozen lake in Monterrey and a truck was rescued from Lake Pontoosuc less than 2 weeks ago. Truck falls through ice of Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield The Department of Fire Services has a strong stance on outdoor ice skating, saying in an email, "We do not recommend skating on natural bodies of water. There's just no reliable way to say that the ice on a pond, lake, stream, or river is thick enough to be safe. This is because surface ice thickness depends on much more than just temperature: currents, depth, vegetation, topography, and other factors mean that surface ice can vary even over short distances.Whenever heading to a frozen body of water, it's always best to err on the side of caution and follow the direction of local authorities." Sometimes ice can prevent heat loss from a lake, meaning water temperatures will remain higher and other lakes and ponds are connected to fast-moving water, which won't freeze deeply if at all. Local News Headlines Northampton considers fossil fuel ban for new buildings AIC nears ‘Hispanic Serving Institution’ status Experts warn of dangers skating on frozen ponds Shelter arrest raises concerns statewide WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.