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Mock beach rescues kick off Drowning Prevention Week

City of Barrie Lifeguards conduct life-saving drills

Calm, cool and professional, City of Barrie lifeguards conducted dramatic rescue drills at Centennial Beach to launch National Drowning Prevention Week.

One mock scenario on Monday involved a young man in distress and the other was a child missing in the water.

"The more you do it, the more you follow the procedures and it overtakes you. Your mind doesn't have time to think. You just follow what to do," said lifeguard Jeea Park.

"These things don't happen every day and when they do we'll be just that much more prepared," said lifeguard Brooke DeCarlo. 

The key message at the kick off to the annual water safety and awareness week was the importance of wearing a life jacket.

So far 55 people have drowned in Ontario this year compared to 49 last year.

City employee Fiona Inkster recounted how a life jacket saved her from from becoming a statistic. 

Inkster and her husband were canoeing with another couple on Canada Day on the Seguin River when they came around a blind turn and thrown from their canoe down a 20-foot waterfall. 

"We hit the bottom which was all rocks and rapids and were smashed around and banged around," said Inkster, getting emotional as she spoke of the frightening mishap. 

Luckily her friends avoided the falls and came to the couple's rescue. 

"My husband lost his glasses.His shoes were ripped off his feet and he was disoriented," she said. 

Both were hurt, bleeding, in shock and mildly hypothermic. Inkster suffered a contusion on her heart.

"If I had not had that padding, it probably would've caused some severe damage. Not only it saved us from drowning, it  saved my heart," she said. 

"You never know what's around the corner and everybody please always wear your life jackets."

On average about 500 Canadians drown each year including about 160 in Ontario.

Barbara Byers with the Lifesaving Society of Ontario says most of those deaths are preventable.

The organization's 2017 campaign message focusses on parents with a poster titled 'Watch me, not your phone.'

"Parents need to be their own child's lifeguard. Drowning can happen in seconds and it's silent.  You need to be actively watching your children all the time. Keep children within arm's reach," said Byers. 

MP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte Alex Nuttall added his voice to the water safety messages.

"It starts at a young age, teaching our children," Nuttall said. 

For the past six years, the Canadian Red Cross has partnered with the city of Barrie for a free PFD (personal floatation device) loan service. 

Red Cross rep Shannon Scully-Pratt said more than 120 life jackets were loaned out last year to both adults and kids. 

"We are surrounded within the Simcoe County area of open bodies of water.  We also have one of the highest number of areas with backyard pools and it is so important to keep water safety top of mind," she told the crowd. 

There are also new signs in the water to show sudden drop-offs.

"As a premier waterfront community, it's important for the residents of Barrie and its visitors to be aware of water safety including the drowning risks and water incident prevention," said Tammie Haines, Recreation Supervisor.

Barrie Police were also on hand for the kick-off and a flag raising at city hall.

Marine Unit officer Doug Bosch says life jackets are the law on watercrafts.

"That's one of those zero tolerance charges. If we catch you out there without a PFD we're certainly going to be laying some paper."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Sue Sgambati

About the Author: Sue Sgambati

Sue has had a 30-year career in journalism working for print, radio and TV. She is a proud member of the Barrie community.
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