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By Michael Joel-Hansen

National Drowning Prevention Week

Water park wants people thinking safety

Jul 22, 2019 | 5:55 PM

This week swimming pools across Canada are talking drowning prevention.

National Drowning Prevention Week is put on by the Lifesaving Society and aims to get people talking and thinking about the issues around drowning and how to prevent them.

The City of Prince Albert and some its facilities, including the Kinsmen Water Park are taking part by offering a range of activities. One of them is the Swim to Survive Challenge, which sees participants roll into the pool and then having to tread water before swimming a lap.

Reid Braaten, aquatics manager at Kinsmen Water Park, said the challenge is more difficult than it looks.

“Sometimes you’ll get some kids or teenagers of adults, they’re puffing up their chests thinking they can do and then they have to do that lap. On the way back some of them are huffing and puffing a little bit,” he said.

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Braaten added people who have this experience may end up thinking about how they need to improve as swimmers and be more aware when they’re in the water. He said in past years there have been a wide range of people who have been interested in giving it a go.

Lauren Haubrich, an aquatic recreation programmer with the City of Prince Albert, said holding National Drowning Prevention at this time of year is especially important due to the numbers of people who have accidents during this time of year.

“It’s statistically across Canada when the most people drown,” she said.

The water park plans to be offering sessions all week and will include one on open water Tuesday afternoon, sun education on Wednesday and will wrap up with parent lifeguard day on Friday.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn