Summer is almost here and most of us are looking forward to some playful days by our favorite lake, pool or on the river. I hope we have a perfect summer for all our planned fun; but I have an even greater hope – that we enjoy this coming season without a single drowning or water-related injury.
Water is so inviting in the summer – especially to children. As parents, you have a critical role in ensuring children understand there is risk along with pleasure in the water, and a vital responsibility to be your children’s lifeguard. Please keep these safety guidelines in mind this summer.
Children learn from the example you set. They need to see you wearing a lifejacket or personal floatation device (PFD). It isn’t enough for you to put a lifejacket on your child. Calgary’s Water Safety Bylaw requires everyone to wear a lifejacket of PFD if they are in, on or holding on to any kind of boat or raft in or on the water. Yet, every summer the Fire Department’s Aquatic Rescue Team encounters numerous boaters, most of them adult, without lifejackets – often with children on board.
Whatever you do, remember your children are watching and learning.
Observe and obey posted warnings, usage signs and instructions on or near the water. If your children see you respect these rules and warnings, they will be more likely to respect them, too.
Stay within arms’ reach. Never leave your child unattended for even a short period of time; a drowning can happen in less time than it takes to read this safety message.
Enrol your family in swimming and lifesaving courses. The Lifesaving Society tells us that among school-aged children between 5 and 12 years of age, swimming is the second most popular activity in Canada after bicycling. By ensuring your child has the skills and knowledge necessary to be safe around water recreation, you are giving them a lifelong skill for health and enjoyment. Contact Calgary Parks & Recreation, your local recreation centre or swimming pool or the Canadian Red Cross for more information about swimming and lifesaving lessons. As a parent, you can enhance your lifesaving skills by learning rescue breathing and C.P.R. skills. They could save the life of someone you love.
There simply isn’t any substitute for knowing where your children are, what they are doing and with whom they are playing. In over 90% of the cases of infant or toddler drownings in Canada, the child was alone or accompanied only by other children when they drowned. Children left unsupervised will find their own entertainment – and water is interesting, entertaining and magnetic.
For a land-locked city, Calgary is blessed with two beautiful rivers, and enhanced with many man-made lakes, swimming pools, recreation facilities and other waterways. Enjoying these facilities is one of the pleasures of living in here. This year, a coalition of agencies concerned with preventing water-related injuries and drownings formed the Water Safety Partners. The partners are working together to ensure water risks are clearly identified and the public has the education necessary to safely enjoy the water.
On behalf of the Water Safety Partners, I urge you to respect the pleasures and the dangers of Calgary’s water environments. Drowning is preventable.
Have a great summer!
W. R. (Wayne) Morris
Former Fire Chief
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2024 Calgary’s Child
