Tips to stay safe at lakes and pools in Ottawa this summer

The long weekend is here. The lifesaving society is here with water safety reminders.

As people plan to head to the cottage, visit the beach or open the swimming pool during the Victoria Day long weekend, the Lifesaving Society is encouraging people to use their “layers of protection” to make it a safe weekend and summer around the water.

“Drowning is preventable,” Sean Duffy, vice-president of the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, told CTV Morning Live Friday morning.

Boating Safety Week is May 17 and 23, and Ontario Provincial Police say officers will be patrolling waterways to ensure paddlers and boaters are safe.

“Heading out on the water this long weekend? We cannot stress strongly enough: wear your lifejacket or personal flotation device,” the OPP said.

Two thirds of drownings occur between May and September, according to the Lifesaving Society.

“We want everyone to get outside, enjoy the warm weather, enjoy the water, but we want people to do so safely. When it comes to parents and children, our biggest message is direct supervision,” Duffy said.

“Make sure you’re supervising your child within arms reach at all times. In the absence of a lifeguard being on duty, parents are their child’s lifeguard.”

Duffy says whether you’re at a swimming pool, the beach or a lake, “layers of protection” are important.

“Lifejackets are a big one; making sure your children are wearing a lifejacket. Making sure you’re supervising them,” Duffy said, adding a noddle is “not a lifejacket.”

“We want a ring buoy, for example, which is a proper lifesaving device. A rescue tube that our lifeguards use when they’re providing safety supervision.  Those are proper lifesaving devices. This (noodle) is a toy; it’s something to have fun with.”

Lifejackets

Duffy says lifejackets are approved by Transport Canada and will have information on the label for the recommended weight of the user.

“The big thing is the lifejackets are designed to be worn; so, if you don’t wear it, it doesn’t work,” Duffy told CTV Morning Live. “You have to wear it properly, so make sure all the straps are done up. For the younger children, you’ve got a strap that goes between their legs to prevent it from going up over their head.”

“The best way to get your child to wear a lifejacket is to make sure you’re wearing one as well. Lifejackets are for all ages.”

Boating safety

Duffy says Transport Canada requires all boaters to have a safety kit onboard.

“In your kit, you’ve got a sound signalling device like a whistle,” Duffy said. “You’ve got a buoyant heaving line so you can throw or tie down to get some help. The bucket is a bailer, so if you get water in your boat, you can use that to bail out. The flashlight you can use for signalling as well.”

Safe Boating Week

May 17 to 23 is Safe Boating Week.

Ontario Provincial Police say 56 paddlers were among the 131 people who lost their lives in boating incidents on OPP-patrolled waterways over the past five years.

“Whether you and your family are in motorized or human-propelled vessels, be mindful that falling overboard as well as capsized vessels remain the leading causes of OPP-investigated boating and paddling deaths year after year,” the OPP said.

Police encourage people using paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and boats to wear a lifejacket.

“It is virtually impossible to drown if you are floating in the water with a properly fitted lifejacket. Even if you are rendered unconscious in a paddling/boating incident, a lifejacket will keep your head above water and keep you breathing,” the OPP said in a media release. “This is a particularly important message for paddlers/boaters who cannot swim, as a lifejacket is the one piece of equipment that you can count on to save your life.“