Boating season can be deadly for those who shun life-jacket
Consequences of a capsized boat often dire if PFD not worn properly
Each year, 30 to 40 Albertans drown, with most of the deaths occurring during the summer boating season, generally considered to start over the May long weekend.
“During the boating season in Canada is when we have the most number of deaths due to drowning,” said Kevin Paes, manager of swimming and water safety with the Canadian Red Cross. “The largest cause of people drowning when they’re on the water is because they forgot to wear their life-jacket or they were not wearing their lifejacket properly.”
So on Thursday the Red Cross, city staff and the Edmonton Fire Rescue team were all out promoting safe boating and life-jacket practices ahead of the Victoria Day long weekend, May 20-22.
On a national scale, each year there are more than 450 unintentional water-related deaths. Seventy-five per cent of those happen in the country’s rivers, lakes and oceans, according to the Lifesaving Society of Canada’s 2016 Drowning Report.
More than half of all drownings happen during a weekend, from Friday to Sunday.
Standing at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park boat launch, Brad Hoekstra, chief of special operations with Edmonton Fire Rescue, noted that although the North Saskatchewan River may look calm, it can be very dangerous and response times to a drowning call usually take upwards of 15 minutes.
In the event of a boat capsizing, a life-jacket can make all the difference.
“It could be a lengthy period of time before we are at the individual,” said Hoekstra, noting the response time can be longer depending on where the person needing help is located in the river.
Of the boating deaths for which data are available, more than 80 per cent of the victims were not wearing a life-jacket.
“When we do see an overturn of a boat, the consequences are a lot more dire,” said Hoekstra.
The city’s aquatic program coordinator, Debi Currie, demonstrated how to properly size and tighten a life-jacket — pull the chest strap tight enough around the torso so a tug on the shoulders won’t pull it above the wearer’s ears.
Currie also noted to make sure the life-jacket is approved by Transport Canada, so in the event you’re knocked unconscious in the water, the jacket will keep you face up and your head above water.
“We want to ensure that all citizens of Edmonton are safe this summer season,” said Currie.
The Fred Broadstock pool, 15720 105 Ave., and the Queen Elizabeth Pool, 9170 Walterdale Hill, both open this weekend for the summer. Other city pools are scheduled to open June 1.
All city pools and recreation facilities offer free use of life-jackets.