July 17-23 is Drowning Prevention Week and it comes at a fitting time of year. (Submitted photo/Michelle Vandevord)

By Rob Mahon

Drowning Prevention Week

Parkland Ambulance offers advice for Drowning Prevention Week

Jul 21, 2022 | 12:00 PM

Hot summer days mean more people out on the water at local lakes or swimming in backyard pools. Whichever people are doing, Parkland Ambulance is asking everyone to keep some safety tips in mind.

July 17 to 23 is national drowning prevention week. Given the increase in swimmers and boaters this time of year, the timing of the week made sense.

“This time of year, everybody is out there,” said Lyle Karasiuk, director of public affairs with Parkland Ambulance. “Whether they’re enjoying a backyard pool, whether they’re enjoying a small little paddling pool in their backyard or at the beach on vacation, the potential exists for people to become hurt or to have a tragedy happen, and we want to avoid that.”

Knowing how to swim is helpful of course, but it’s not always a guarantee someone won’t drown. A lot of factors can come into play that make the seemingly simple act of swimming more dangerous, especially if someone has to do it unexpectedly.

“Most people think ‘My big pontoon boat is 20 feet or even bigger, it’s going to stay upright if we come in contact with a storm or something happens that we lose power, so no need to have life jackets,’” Karasiuk said. “It doesn’t matter what size of the craft… we need to do some safety precautions.”

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Having life jackets on board is one of those precautions, but having some kind of sounding device, a tow rope, and a means of propelling the boat manually are all part of safety precautions as well. In addition, if someone is out on the lake for a long stretch of time for something like fishing, letting someone know where they are and when they can be expected home is a good safety practice.

“Maybe bad weather comes upon you and folks are saying, ‘Hey, he’s overdue he should’ve been here an hour ago, maybe two hours ago,’” said Karasiuk. “At least have a starting point to look, especially on very large bodies of water.”

Drowning risks don’t just come from large bodies of water or while boating, however. With that in mind, Karasiuk encouraged another safety measure: keeping an eye on each other.

“No matter what the size body of water, you need to keep an eye on each other, and moms and dads especially on your little ones,” Karasiuk said. “On a very, very busy beach… lots of people, it’s easy to lose track of someone and it’s easy for someone to be lost, grabbed by a current, their floatie blows them out into the open water.”

Karasiuk added having a way to get someone’s attention if someone is drowning, such as a loud whistle, is also a good idea.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP