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By Michael Joel-Hansen

National Drowning Prevention Week 2020

Public reminded about water safety during Drowning Prevention Week

Jul 22, 2020 | 8:00 AM

This week is National Drowning Prevention Week.

The week is marked by lifesaving societies across Canada and aims to get the public thinking and talking about drowning and how to prevent it.

In past years, the Kinsmen Water Park hosted a range of events to raise awareness about drowning and educate the general public.

Lauren Haubrich, aquatic programmer with the City of Prince Albert, said while they were not able to do the normal activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they felt it is important to get the message out.

“We just wanted to put out some messaging to the public, into the community, just to make sure that people are still staying safe around the water,” she said.

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Haubrich said it is important to talk about water safety now as many people might be heading out to the lake or making use of small pools more than they would have previously with recreational facilities being closed. Some drowning prevention experts have speculated this could cause an uptick in drownings worldwide with people swimming where there are not trained lifeguards.

Haubrich added it is important that kids be properly watched when they are around the water.

“We really want to emphasize that if you have children that are playing around the water, whether you’re at the beach or at the cabin or you know you’re just sitting at home, to make sure you’re actively supervising them,” she said.

Another area where Haubrich felt people should be careful is when they are out at the beach or on the lake using some form of floatable device. She explained it is possible for people using the equipment to end up farther out in the water than intended.

“You’re floating on it and you’re having a good time and before you know it, you’re not able to get back to shore,” she said.

In the Life Saving Society’s 2019 Drowning Report, the organization found the number of deaths by drowning has been on the decline from 2012 to 2016. Over that four-year period, an average of 444 people died in water-related incidents. This was down from the 475 average which was reported from 2007 to 2011.

In Saskatchewan, the most recent numbers from the Life Saving Society show in 2018 there were nine people who died in water-related incidents. This is down from 2017, where there were 14 deaths.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn