Latest news with #LifesavingSociety
CBC
a day ago
- Health
- CBC
Don't swim alone, Lifesaving Society stresses in kickoff to drowning prevention week
Officials with the Lifesaving Society are highlighting the importance of swimming with others and wearing a life-jacket as they mark another National Drowning Prevention Week. It comes as more people hit the water for the summer amid a spate of recent drowning deaths in the London area, including the drowning of a 17-year-old in Chatham, an 18-year-old man in Ipperwash, and a 35-year-old man in Port Burwell. The week-long safety campaign began on Sunday, the same day Stratford police say a 13-year-old Hamilton girl drowned while swimming in the reservoir of Wildwood Conservation Area. This year, the national volunteer organization and registered charity is focusing on educating the public about the dangers of swimming alone. The organization says swimming alone was a factor in roughly 56 per cent of drowning deaths in Ontario last year involving adults aged 35 to 64, and 69 per cent of deaths involving adults 65 and older. In young children five and under, absent or distracted supervision was a factor in 97 per cent of drownings, officials say. "Drowning is fast, and it's often silent, so we're looking at ways that you can be safer together, whether that's with someone else, or a parent being within arm's reach, or whether it's with your life jacket," said Stephanie Bakalar, a spokesperson for the Lifesaving Society's Ontario branch. "We have seen quite a few drownings this year, on par with the last few years happening in July, and it is often related to not being able to swim. It's a huge risk factor," she said. Nearly half of all reported drownings in the province last year happened in a lake or pond. Nineteen per cent involved a river, 15 per cent a bathtub, and 11 per cent a pool. Just one per cent occurred in lifeguard-supervised settings. Officials urge caution during drowning prevention week 15 hours ago Another major risk factor includes not wearing a life-jacket, including while boating. In at least 86 per cent of boating-related drownings last year, the victim was not wearing a life-jacket, the society says. "I think there's a misconception with life jackets that they're bulky, cumbersome, difficult. 'I don't need a life jacket,' is the attitude of a lot of people. 'I can swim. I'm on the boat, I'll be fine,'" Bakalar said. "Once you've been in an accident on a boat or fallen overboard, you're not going to be able to get to your life-jacket to put it on. Same as you're not going to wait to put a seat belt on until after you've crashed your car." She says modern life jackets come in a variety of styles and models, including inflatable ones that stay flat until you need them. Bakalar recommends people always swim with someone who knows how to swim or has lifesaving training, or to swim where there are lifeguards supervising. Children should always be actively watched at all times, she said. Taking or brushing up on swimming lessons is also a great way to stay safe in the water, she said, and the knowledge gained through lifesaving training can be beneficial even if you don't plan to become a lifeguard.
CBC
a day ago
- Health
- CBC
Water safety top of mind in Ottawa as drownings mount
Drowning is a silent killer. In just seconds, a child, friend or family member can disappear below the surface of the water. Across Canada, 2,209 people lost their lives in "unintentional water-related deaths" between 2015 and 2019, according to the 2024 National Drowning Report. Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner told CBC 75 accidental drowning deaths occurred in the province last year, excluding accidents involving motor vehicles, farm equipment, scuba diving or falling through ice. CBC Ottawa has reported 15 water-related deaths so far this year in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, including the death of an Ottawa man who fell into the St. Lawrence River on Saturday. Two more suspected drownings occurred in Prince Edward County over the weekend. Ottawa man dies after falling into the St. Lawrence River Father drowned, child rescued near Westboro Beach On Monday morning, a light blue flag was raised in front of Ottawa city hall to commemorate National Drowning Prevention Week. Organized by the Lifesaving Society, this year's theme is "safer together." While it's too early to say how 2025 will compare to previous years, Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) says its water rescue team has been particularly busy in one spot. Deschênes Rapids a dangerous spot Just downstream from Britannia Beach, the Deschênes Rapids have seen a spike in rescues this summer season, according to OFS spokesperson Nick Defazio. Defazio said there were 15 rescues at the rapids last year. This year, firefighters have already responded to 13 emergencies there, all successful rescues. "What we see a lot of is people leave the beach, they don't realize the rapids are around the corner, and before it's too late they're going through them," he said. Defazio said if you witness someone drifting toward the rapids, call 911 and don't attempt to rescue them yourself. Sean Duffy, a vice-president with the Lifesaving Society, stressed the difference between swimming in a pool and in open water. He said people can overestimate their swimming abilities in lakes and rivers. "They think ... 'I can swim in a pool, I should be able to swim in open water,' but open water is very different than a pool. We've got currents and weather conditions and drop-offs," he said. "It's really important to know the environment that you're going into, and choose a safer option." "A big part of this is being proactive and sending a clear message to the residents of the city of Ottawa that they need to be very, very careful around the waters, especially with their children," said Coun. Steve Desroches, who attended Monday's event as deputy mayor. People are reminded to keep children under close supervision, never swim alone, wear a life-jacket and stick to beaches where lifeguards are on duty. On Friday, World Drowning Prevention Day, the Ottawa sign in the ByWard Market will turn blue as a reminder to everyone. "We just want people to be vigilant," said Duffy. "We know that drowning incidents can happen, but we also know that they're preventable."
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Marginalized communities learning to swim through special program in Kitchener
Members of marginalized communities are learning a valuable and potentially lifesaving skill in Kitchener. Afropolitan Canada is hosting their third annual swimming program for BIPOC families in Waterloo Region. Over the course of eight weeks, participants meet up at pools throughout the city to address what the organization calls 'systemic inequities in access to swimming education.' 'The main purpose of this particular program was to help our community,' Rosina Amoah Agyapong, program coordinator, said. '[We] teach them about the basic swimming skills and also teach them how to prevent drowning and to be able to engage in the confidence level through swimming.' According to a 2024 survey by the Lifesaving Society, a charitable organization centred on preventing water-related injuries and drowning, most newcomers to Canada believe learning to swim is a necessary life skill, but half of all immigrants described themselves as a weak or non-swimmer. Many parents cited cost and a lack of time as barriers to enrolling their children in swim programs. Afropolitan Canada, with support from the City of Kitchener and Jumpstart, is trying to address part of that problem by offering low cost, and in some cases free, lessons. Classes focus on basic water survival skills such as treading water, surface swimming and self-rescue techniques. 'It's a roll into the water, 50-meter swim and one-metre of treading water,' Alex Geisel, Kitchener's Aquatics Supervisor, explained. 'Knowing that we're surrounded by water in southwestern Ontario and the access that we have, just making sure that everyone is aware and has those abilities to stay safe and enjoy their time, not just the in summer, but [all] year,' Geisel said. Demand has been steadily growing since the initiative's inception. In 2023, 93 people signed up for the program and, in 2024, that number grew to 178. This year, the program welcomed 197 participants while more than 250 people were on a waitlist. 'There is a lot of urgency in the area for people who aren't able to swim,' said Afropolitan Canada board chair Kayla Stephenson. 'The purpose is for us to be able to learn if we are in the water, that if we're in trouble, to be able to survive,' Stephen said. 'They do get a certificate at the end of the program and they're able to come back and learn further skills and advance their skills in the years to come.' For some families, learning new skills brings a wave of relief. 'It's reassuring,' Debbie Henry, a participant and parent, said. 'Less fear. Because kids want to be kids. They want to have fun. They're going to run poolside and if they jump in, they know how to surface, they know what to do to stay afloat. I think it's important for everyone to have swimming lessons, to be able to survive. I think it's a basic skill.' Henry has been learning alongside her children.'It's been great! I'm learning whip kick, eggbeater and all different types of survival swimming techniques. It's been good. And for my kids as well – they're building their confidence in the pool.' Organizers said they are trying to find more funding to expand the program in the years to come.
Local Sweden
2 days ago
- Climate
- Local Sweden
Number of drownings spikes as Swedes cool off in hot weather
In the last two weeks, Sweden has seen on average one drowning accident a day. Advertisement Warm temperatures over the last two weeks have led many Swedes to head to the nearest lake or beach to cool off. Unfortunately, this has led to some gloomy statistics ‒ drownings have increased, with on average one per day occurring in the last fortnight, according to the Swedish Lifesaving Society. "We can see that the number of drownings has increased a lot, and the reason behind that is the nice weather we've seen across the country," Göran Bertilsson, from the Lifesaving Society, told public broadcaster Ekot. He added that boats and paddleboards have also become more common, which increases the risk of swimming accidents. Bertilsson advised swimmers to keep an eye on each other, especially children who can't swim. "You need to keep an eye on your children all the time, especially when there are a lot of people swimming," he said. "If you're looking at your phone you can't watch your kids at the same time." ESSENTIAL READING:
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Marking National Drowning Prevention Week
Atlantic Watch The Lifesaving Society of Nova Scotia shares important safety advice to help prevent drownings this summer.
