Watch Out For Falling Icicles

The police have been reportedly inundated with phone calls from people worried about the dangers falling icicles present.

As Reykjavík endures an unprecedented snowpocalypse, the sight of giant icicles hanging precariously from rain gutters high over city sidewalks is not at all uncommon. In fact, some places of business have taken to cordoning off part of the sidewalk in front of their establishments, to help prevent people from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ólafur Ingi Grettisson, who works for the capital area fire department, told Vísir that it is the responsibility of the property owner to prevent injuries from occurring around their properties. As the fire department no longer visits homes for the sole purpose of clearing out icicles, he advises that those who cannot reach the icicles with a long stick get in touch with someone who owns a cherry picker (also known as an elevated work platform, boom lift, man lift, basket crane or hydraladder).

Ólafur was not asked if this property-owner responsibility to prevent injuries around their properties included the shoveling of pavement or at least the spreading of salt, as is done in many other parts of the world that have snow and ice.

Icicles have sparked responses from public workers before. In 2012, police issued a warning to be careful of falling icicles when navigating on foot in the downtown area.