Spreading awareness to prevent drownings

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This article was published 01/08/2023 (687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over 450 people drown annually in Canada in ways that are preventable. July 16 to 22 marked National Drowning Prevention Week, during the period of the year where the most drownings occur.

Lifesaving Society Manitoba and the Steinbach Aquatic Centre hosted an information session last week to raise awareness of the second leading cause of unintentional death for children and the third leading cause for unintentional death for adults.

“Steinbach has been a great partner,” said Stacey Grocholski, executive director of the Lifesaving Society. “They always do a great job with National Drowning Prevention Week and spreading the awareness.”

Manager of the Steinbach Aquatic Centre Jane Hansen said staff do presentations about water safety and held a water safety event for one of their camps. Roughly 800 people are enrolled in swim lessons this summer ranging from infants to adults.

Hansen said there has been an increase in adults learning to swim with the influx of new residents wanting to learn because Manitoba has a lot of open water.

“I’m just really excited that we’ve had this opportunity to do this. Water safety is something that is very dear to my heart and I’m really glad that we can do this,” Hansen said. “One drowning is too many.”

The Lifesaving Society says nearly 70 percent of people that drown had no intention of going into water and that almost every Canadian knows someone who has drowned or experienced non-fatal drowning.

Mayor Earl Funk is one of those people.

The incident happened in 1977 when he was 11 years old on a class trip to Birds Hill Park at the end of the school year. He was playing with friends in shallow water and dove under the surface.

“During that time, I dove underwater, I couldn’t swim but we were standing in chest-deep water, so I thought I was going to be OK,” Funk said. “When I did get up, I had nothing underneath me and I went down.”

He said it was quick and quiet and the only reason his experience wasn’t fatal was because his friends noticed and called for help.

Funk encouraged those who don’t know how to swim to sign up for lessons and stay safe.

Other tips to reduce drownings include wearing a properly fitted lifejacket while on a boat, staying sober while near water, supervising children while swimming and keeping them in arm’s reach and understanding your own limits in and around water.