NEVER EVER SWIM ALONE
How to reduce drownings
On the eve of National Drowning Prevention Week, a 13-year-old boy was found at the bottom of a public pool in Hochelaga-maisonneuve. In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, Sylvano King Jr Tshiunza — Junior to most — had scaled the fence of the pool, which was closed, with his cousin.
Junior did not know how to swim, according to the Gofundme page set up for the family to bury Junior. The campaign, set up Sunday night, had raised more than $10,200 by Monday evening.
“This is the time of the year, in Quebec and the rest of Canada, when we find the most drowning situations in one week,” said Raynald Hawkins, longtime executive director of the Société de sauvetage, the Quebec branch of the Lifesaving Society.
The national volunteer and charitable organization designates the third week of July as National Drowning Prevention Week (July 18 to 24).
Nearly 75 per cent of drownings in Canada are between May and September, he said: There have been 40 so far this year in Quebec.
One quarter of Quebecers are on holiday — and the coronavirus pandemic means that many opted for staycations, he said. “Many will be near the water or on the water, which increases the probability of incidents,” Hawkins said.
“Taking the necessary precautions, such as maintaining constant supervision of those who are swimming and wearing a flotation device on watercraft can make the difference between having great memories of your time at the cottage or having a traumatic experience.”
Never ever be alone on the water or in the water, he said. Half the 95 drownings in 2020 in Quebec were in people who were alone while swimming or boating, he said.
Eighty were in natural bodies of water and 31 involved watercraft.
Eighty-five to 90 per cent of boating fatalities were among people who either did not wear life jackets or personal flotation devices or did not wear them properly, Hawkins said.
“They don't think they will need it, but you never know when you will. There could be big waves. You could fall overboard. Cross paths with another boat and be hit by waves.”
This applies no matter what sort of craft is being used, he said.
Every drowning is a tragedy, and much more tragic because nearly all drownings are preventable, said Debbie Friedman, trauma director at the Montreal Children's Hospital and associate professor at the Department of Pediatrics & Pediatric Surgery at Mcgill University.
The centre has mounted a campaign to encourage vigilance and supervision.
“We were particularly concerned because, with the pandemic extending over two summers, we know many backyard pools have been installed and many people are opting for staycations,” she said. “We want to ensure that a beautiful day by the water doesn't end in a preventable, life-altering, tragic event.”
In 2020, the Société de sauvetage found that 85 per cent of child drownings are due to distracted supervision or no supervision at all.
Being vigilant means all eyes on the water. Having your laptop in front of you is not the same as sitting on the edge of the pool so you can act quickly, Friedman said.
Being vigilant means no texting — and no alcohol. It means knowing the capability of the swimmers you are supervising.
A supervising adult should be within arm's reach of anyone with weak swimming skills, swimming lessons are encouraged and CPR training is recommended.
“If you have a pool, you need to be a responsible pool owner,” she said. That means no direct access to the pool from house. It means proper fencing and a self-locking gate — maybe even one armed with an alarm.
When there is direct access from a house to a lake, the doors should be kept locked to prevent a child from wandering into the water.
In May, the provincial government amended the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act to require all owners of swimming pools in Quebec to install four-sided fencing with automatic locking gates and to make sure there is no direct access to the pool from the house.
The government has given owners of older pools until 2023 to conform, “but we want to encourage people to act sooner rather than later,” said Friedman. “We really support the government decision, which we have been pushing for a decade.”
For his part, Hawkins said he is “more than pleased” about the amended swimming pool safety act.
But vigilance and supervision are important not only for pools. “It's also lakes and water parks,” Friedman said. “It's important to know your skill level and to swim in designated areas. Anyone can drown.
“Drownings are quick, silent — and, for the most part, preventable.”
We want to ensure that a beautiful day by the water doesn't end in a preventable, life-altering, tragic event.