Latest news with #NationalDrowningPreventionWeek
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Safer together the focus of National Drowning Prevent Week
By Jeff Helsdon LJI Reporter It's inevitable. Every summer sees tragedy strike somewhere in Southwestern Ontario with at least one drowning. Most of the drownings are in Lake Erie, and nearby, Port Burwell and Long Point seem to get their share. National Drowning Prevention Week, which is July 20-26 this year, aims to prevent future drownings. This year's theme is 'Safer Together'. Melanie Corbett, aquatics supervisor with the Town of Tillsonburg, said a variety of activities are planned for the outdoor pool and drowning prevention will be emphasized during lessons in the indoor pool. 'We want to encourage them to swim with a buddy, stay within arm's reach, swim in a lifeguard-supervised area if possible, wear lifejackets -especially when you're on a boat,' she said. Outdoor pool activities Planned activities for the outdoor pool are: July 20 - Sunny Sundays - involves teaching anyone who comes to the waterpark about sun safety July 21 - A trivia challenge with water-smart questions and drowning report stats July 22 - A mock cardiopulmonary resuscitation will take place as well as a CPR demonstration and education. July 23 – Swim and Splash will involve an obstacle course challenge for swimmers. Boat and lifejacket safety will also be taught. July 25 – Cool down – Although it's a long time from ice on the lakes, this day will focus on ice safety, wearing lifejackets and what to do if you fall through the ice. July 26 – Rescue ready – Mock rescues of a swimmer in distress will take place. Lake safety Nate McIntyre, who started the not-for-profit Rip Current Information Project, has an extensive background with water safety. He has more than 27 years of experience as a lifeguard in Port Stanley, playing a role in creating the municipality's beach rescue program that saw it go from two lifeguards to 28. 'While I was there, I was trying to learn about undertow and what was happening,' he said. 'Researching that,' I discovered undertow wasn't the concern but rip current were the concern.: Undertow is a return of water anywhere there is a return of water to the lake from surf crashing on a beach. It is, however, diffused along the shoreline. 'It's not until that current becomes focus that it moves people,' McIntyre said. Rip currents are a concentrated flow of water, and are more intense. 'It's a concentrated return of water through the surf zone back to deeper water,' he explained. Rip currents can occur next to structures like piers or jetties, but can also happen in the middle of a beach. Wind speed and bottom structure are determining factors. 'It depends on the wind angle and strength of the wind on a particular day,' he said, saying it may not be present one day, and there the next. Storms can also create ideal conditions for a rip current if sandbars are created and a channel develops in the sandbar. Then the return of water can be concentrated through the sandbar channel. 'It needs to go back out,' McIntyre said. 'The sandbars will keep the water there a little longer.' Flip, follow and float If caught in a rip current, McIntyre's advice was to flip, float and follow. Expanding on these points, he said the first thing to do is flip over and face shore so the waves aren't throwing water in your airwave. Then he advised to remain calm and float. 'The current is too strong to get out of. Wait for it to subsidize and then swim back towards shore,' he said, adding the swimming towards shore with the surf constitutes following. McIntyre has been leading a campaign to increase awareness of how to escape from rip currents and prevent drownings. Cutlines Tillsonburg outdoor pool lead head, and the victim in this mock scenario, Abigail Sarafinchin, left, pretends to be in distress while lifeguard Shona Cassidy rescues her. Mock rescues are one of the many activities planned for the outdoor pool for Drowning Prevention Week. Jeff Helsdon Photo Hot, sunny weather can draw hundreds of people to the beach. Most will go away after enjoying a day of sun and fun, but the situation can turn deadly with rip currents. Long Point Beach, pictured here, was crowded during a recent hot spell. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
24-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
July 20-26 is National Drowning Prevention Week
It is National Drowning Prevention Week, with the message of being "safer together", which means not swimming alone, and wearing a lifejacket. There were 98 accidental drowning deaths in BC last year. According to the BC Coroners Service, the deadliest spots include Okanagan Lake and the Fraser River. The safety reminders come at a time when so many of us are spending time in the waters around the province.
Ottawa Citizen
24-07-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
OPP sound the alarm following 10 drownings so far this season
Article content Since there are no lifeguards on their beaches, they do make PFDs available to borrow free of charge. This service is available to visitors at 70 of its participating parks. Article content Ontario Parks also reminds people never to leave children unattended, especially in the water, regardless of how shallow it may be. Article content According to the Canadian Red Cross, 'the absence of adult supervision is a factor in most child drownings,' regardless of whether a child can swim or not. Article content Ontario Parks added that while water wings and inflatable tubes are great, they are not a substitute for a PFD/lifejacket and full-time adult supervision. Article content Wearing a lifejacket has multiple benefits if you find yourself in a water-related situation. It can pop you back up to the surface, give you time to adjust to the situation, catch your breath, and call for help. Article content On what is currently the Lifesaving Society's national Drowning Prevention Week (July 20-26), the organization noted in a news release that drowning claims the lives of hundreds of Canadians each year. 'Over 400 Canadians die in preventable water-related incidents annually. Even one drowning is too many,' the release said. Article content Article content This year's campaign is urging people to be 'safer together.' Article content 'This year's National Drowning Prevention Week is all about the easy ways that anyone can have a safer experience in or around the water. Safer together means you swim with someone instead of alone, and you wear a lifejacket instead of keeping it next to you in the boat. It's simple steps like these that make sure your day on the water ends happily,' said Lifesaving Society Ontario's Stephanie Bakalar. Article content In Ontario, 100% of drownings among children under the age of five occurred when supervision was absent or distracted. Article content Swimming alone accounted for 71% of drowning deaths in adults aged 65 and older, and 57% in adults aged 35 to 64. Article content Only 1% of drownings occur in lifeguard-supervised settings. Article content In boating-related fatalities, 89% of victims were not wearing a lifejacket. Article content Some tips include: Article content Actively supervise children anytime they are in or near the water. Article content Always swim with a buddy. Article content The safest place to swim is where the lifeguards are. Article content Lifejackets can save your life.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Men accounted for 77% of drowning deaths in B.C. last year, coroner says
Of the nearly 100 drowning deaths in B.C. last year, 77 per cent were men, according to a report from the B.C. Coroners Service. This information comes just a few weeks after the drowning death of 27-year-old international student Jatin Garg in Kamloops, B.C., who died after he went into the Thompson River to retrieve a volleyball in early July. Only a few weeks prior to Garg's death, a 29-year-old Burnaby man drowned in Cabin Lake, in Cypress Provincial Park. According to police, he had been swimming across the lake with his fiancée when suddenly he started to struggle. "This is something that is preventable, and that makes it even more tragic," said Lenea Grace, the Lifesaving Society's executive director for B.C. and Yukon. Grace said 2024 was not unusual, as men often make up the majority of drowning deaths each year in B.C. "Men tend to engage in riskier behaviours, overestimate their physical abilities, and we also see trends in males not wearing PFDs (personal flotation devices) while boating and fishing as well," she said. "There could be some, you know, issues about wanting to be cool or, you know, thinking they don't need it because they know how to swim. And the reality is that when people are boating, everyone needs a life jacket, no matter what your age or ability or gender is." This week is National Drowning Prevention Week — an annual reminder about water safety — prompting the Lifesaving Society, B.C. Emergency Health Services and the B.C. Coroners Service to share statistics on drowning deaths in an effort to educate British Columbians about preventing deaths in, on and around water. The report shows there were 98 drowning deaths in B.C. in 2024, more than half of which occurred from June to September. Thirty-three of those deaths happened in the Interior Health region. Grace said that's largely due to Okanagan Lake, where 28 drowning deaths have been recorded in the past decade. Of the many bodies of water across B.C., the Fraser River and Okanagan Lake have been the most deadly in terms of drownings over the past 10 years. Grace said that's largely due to people not wearing lifejackets and using substances while on the water. Twenty-two of the drowning deaths in 2024 happened when someone fell into the water, followed by 18 where the individual was swimming and 14 deaths that happened in the bathtub. "We really want to encourage parents to actively supervise their children and watch their kids, not your phone, when your kids are in the bathtub," Grace said. Not included in the coroner's report is how many newcomers to Canada die as a result of drowning, but Grace said they are four times more likely to be unable to swim compared to people born in Canada. "It's really important that new Canadians receive this kind of crucial water safety education," Grace said. "We really want to encourage families to enroll their children and themselves. Adult lessons are available ... or, at the very minimum, swim to survive, which is the Canadian minimum standard for surviving a fall into water. She is urging everyone in B.C., whether a newcomer or not, to take swimming lessons if they haven't already.
Ottawa Citizen
22-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Marine fatalities in Eastern Ontario increase dramatically in 2025
Article content The number of marine fatalities in Eastern Ontario so far this summer is more than double the drowning deaths figure from this time last year. Article content It's National Drowning Prevention Week, and on Tuesday the OPP sent a message to the public, urging everyone to wear a life-jacket when on the water. Article content Article content 'Life jackets can save lives, but only if you wear them,' the OPP said in a news release. 'Capsizing or falling overboard are the two leading causes of death in boating incidents, and wearing a life jacket can mean the difference between life and death.' Article content Article content The OPP said they had responded to 10 Eastern Ontario marine fatalities this summer, and that in each incident the victim had not been wearing a life-jacket. They did not specify how many drowning deaths there had been at this time last year. Article content Article content 'This is about education and changing the mindset to ensure everyone wears the proper gear, whether in a power boat or in a canoe,' said Chief Superintendent Lisa Wilhelm, OPP East Region commander. 'This is about coming home safely and ensuring that everyone, adults and children, are safe on or near the water.' Article content On July 20, just before 6 p.m., OPP officers were called to a location along County Road 11, also on East Lake. A group of individuals had been out canoeing and decided to go swimming, but were unable to get back into their canoes. One person swam back to shore, while two other individuals were rescued by a bystander who had gone out in his boat to pull them out of the water. However, a fourth individual could not be located. Article content Article content The person had initially been listed as missing, but in an update Tuesday police said the body of the 20-year-old man from the Toronto area had been recovered. Article content Article content On July 19, OPP officers were called to a resort on County Road 18 near Sandbanks Provincial Park, where it was reported an individual had drowned just before 6 p.m. The victim was identified as a 51-year-old man from Toronto. Police did not provide details about what the man had been doing at the time he drowned. Article content On the night of July 19, a 20-year-old Nepean man drowned in a boating incident in the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque. The Leeds County OPP said officers were called at about 6:30 p.m. after a person fell from a 'stationary boat.' Article content 'Parents or caregivers should stay within arms' reach of young children, swim where the lifeguards are and (know) the importance of not swimming or boating alone, the OPP stated in a social media post at the start of National Drowning Prevention Week. 'Always wear a lifejacket while in a boat and remember — don't drink and swim, and don't drink and drive a boat. Article content
