Prevent Drowning — Stay Safe On or In the Water
National Drowning Prevention Week Promotes Water Safety This Summer
Jul 13, 2009
The fourth week in July is National Drowning Prevention Month in Canada. According to the Canadian Red Cross, 39 per cent of drowning victims are boating-related, and alcohol was a factor or was suspected in 50 per cent of boating fatalities over the past 10 years. Furthermore, according to Shelley Dalke, national coordinator for Canadian Red Cross swimming and water safety programs, these were preventable deaths.
“Far too often people fail to account for the risks associated with boating,” says Dalke. “They load their boat with alcohol and either forget to bring a lifejacket, or use it as a cushion. The research shows that non-swimmers and weak swimmers were even less likely than other victims to correctly wear a lifejacket.”
Only a third of boat-related drownings are connected with non-powered crafts such as canoes or kayaks. The rest involve power boats, and of those, the majority of victims are men. The reason for drowning? Ninety-one per cent of these men were not wearing lifejackets, Dalke said.
Lifejackets Save Lives
Wearing a lifejacket while boating is essential, but these devices also should be used by children and weak swimmers who are in or near the water. It is important that the lifejacket be the correct size and type for each person. Make sure all lifejackets are approved by, in Canada, Transport Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard or Fisheries and Oceans Canada or by another nationally recognized organization.
Parents may be lulled into thinking their children are safe in the water because they are wearing or using other flotation devices. This may not be the case. Children need proper safety equipment and, most important, constant adult supervision while playing in or near the water. That includes pools, lakes, ponds and streams.
Fence Your Backyard Pool
According to Safe Kids Canada, almost half of all child drownings happen in backyard swimming pools, and 70 per cent of drownings of children under age 5 could have been prevented with proper pool fencing that prevents access on all four sides. Many fenced pools still have access directly from the house and/or deck. It takes only a moment’s inattention by an adult for a child to slip out the door and fall into the water or even slip under the pool cover and drown before he or she is found.
A person can drown in just a few inches of water. In summer, shallow streams and farm irrigation ponds can nearly dry up and appear safe, but a toddler or even an adult who has been drinking too much can fall face down and drown.
After a storm, these bodies of water can suddenly become much deeper, posing a hazard to people who are not expecting the water to be deep or a stream to be running fast. Teach children specially to be aware of such changes and to watch for dangerous conditions.
Party Safely This Summer
Everyone knows that they should not drink and drive, and about having a designated driver at parties. The same is true when boating or partying at the pool or lake. Boats and alcohol are often a deadly combination.
At parties held near water, hosts should ensure that one or two people who are good swimmers stay sober. People are also encouraged to learn basic lifesaving techniques, including CPR, first aid and water rescue if they are going to be spending time on or near the water.
Photo Information:
Barbara Byers from the Lifesaving Society helps Omri Cundangan, 11, put on a lifejacket. The first-ever Report Card on Water Safety Knowledge released by the Lifesaving Society reports that 85% of Ontarians recognize that a lifejacket is an effective device to keep children safe. (CNW Group/LifeSaving Society)
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