Water Safety. A moment to remember

You have read about the increase in drownings this year, including one that was not far from my Ottawa neighbourhood this week.  It’s sad, and while accidents happen, it’s preventable. 

Below is from Ottawa Public Health.  The bolded areas I have added.  Please take a moment to read.  All of us should be reminded that terrible things can happen in an instant. 

Get serious about water safety – lives depend on it

By Robert Paiement, Injury Prevention Unit, Ottawa Public Health

Drowning is a quick and silent killer. It can happen in a matter of seconds.

The Canadian Red Cross reports 500 people die from drowning every year. In Ottawa, an average of five people drown each year.

Children are at risk of drowning year-round but the risk is highest during the summer when more people use swimming pools, beaches and other bodies of water to cool off.

Young children often drown in backyard swimming pools, rivers, lakes and bathtubs. Two-thirds of these deaths happen to children who never intended to get wet in the first place. Toddlers are especially at risk of drowning because they are mobile and very curious.

Children five years old and younger are the least able to rescue themselves of any age group and need to be watched closely by an adult at all times. It is important to remember that drownings are preventable.

Plan to keep your children safe this summer with these water safety tips:

• stay within arm’s reach of your child at all times
• children need an adult watching them at all times around water, no matter how well they swim
• use a life jacket that fits properly for young children and weak swimmers
• sign up yourself and your children in swimming lessons
• learn infant and child CPR and take a First Aid course
• floating toys, which attract children, should be removed when a backyard pool is not in use
• in your backyard pool area, keep a first aid kit, a telephone and emergency numbers nearby
• have a rope, a solid pole or a life ring close by to help a person in trouble
• four-sided fencing, which completely separates the pool from the house, should be at least 5 feet (1.5 m) high. It should also have a gate that latches and locks to keep children from getting near the pool.
• the City of Ottawa’s pool by-law requires all pools holding 60 cm (24 inches) or more of water to have a fence that is at least 1.5 metres (5 feet) high. The pool must also have a gate that closes, latches and locks. This includes all above-ground, in-ground and inflatable pools, hot tubs and fish ponds.

It is important to remember that a small child can drown in as little as ten seconds and in just a few inches of water. Supervision and fencing are the keys to reducing drowning and near-drownings.

For more information on drowning prevention, call or visit:

Ottawa Public Health Information
613-580-6744

Canadian Red Cross Society
613-560-7220

Lifesaving Society