The Lifesaving Society is sharing some outdoor water safety tips as swimming season is in full swing.
Shelby Rushton, CEO of the Saskatchewan branch, reminds swimmers, boaters, and paddleboarders to always wear a life jacket or personal floatation device.
“We’re seeing a lot of paddle boarders out on the lakes and the rivers, and they’re not wearing PFDs. We’re consistently seeing this problem, so we want to remind people that they still need to be wearing a PFD or lifejacket on the paddleboards. They could be subject to a fine, as well as, if they fall into the water, they could drown.”
A recent CJWW Newspoll question asked, ‘if you saw someone drowning, would you know the correct steps of offering aid?’ Seventy per cent of respondents said no.
She says drowning in real life does not resemble drowning in the movies. There will be far less water movement, it will be silent, and it will happen quite quickly.
“They can submerge within seconds, and they can’t get up again to yell for help, and even if they do, they might be scared to open their mouth in case they do swallow water. There might be a few seconds of splashing of the water trying to get up, but after that they’re going to be too far below the surface to be doing that. It’s really hard to see if someone’s drowning.”
Rushton says if you see someone drowning, immediately shout for help, call 911, and throw the person a floatation device. Unless you have adequate water safety training, she recommends not going in after them with the risk of putting yourself in danger.
She adds that people tend to let their guard down when they’re in their own homes, but the same rule should apply in a backyard pool. She also recommends not serving alcohol if you throw a pool party, making sure everyone knows how deep the water is, and refrain from running on the deck.
Due to a lack of skills or knowledge about water, Rushton says newcomers drown at a higher rate than other Canadians.
“They are coming from countries where swimming lessons aren’t part of their culture. Going to the beach is not part of their culture. It might not be safe, it might be polluted, it might have wild animals…They’re coming across without swimming knowledge.”
Also, she reminds boaters to leave the alcohol for when they get back to the shore this summer.
She says alcohol use on the water can lead to an increase in drowning incidents.
“A lot of people don’t realize that it’s illegal to be on a boat with open alcohol whether you’re the driver or the passenger. It’s just like driving aa car or a truck on the highway or in town. You cannot have open alcohol.”
Beginning this Sunday is National Drowning Prevention Week, so there will be activities at your local swimming pool to teach you about drowning prevention.
