National Drowning Prevention Week brings safety education to Riverview, N.B.

It’s been a hot and humid summer in the Maritimes and the Lion Ken Gabbey Community Outdoor Pool in Riverview, N.B., has been packed most days.

Heather Reinsborough, the recreation coordinator-aquatics for the Town of Riverview, said their open swims have been very busy and her staff of lifeguards have been on their toes.

Reinsborough spoke to CTV News Monday about Lifesaving Society Canada’s National Drowning Prevention Week and what they do at the pool in Riverview to make sure they decrease the chances of any accidents happening.

“Parents forget that yes, there is a degree of safety if you’re observing them from the pool ledge, but really if you get into the water with them the chances of them having an incident in the water go way down,” said Reinsborough.

Reinsborough said they also do a bracelet system at the pool.

“We do a swim test. Can your swimmer swim the full length of the pool, 25 metres? If so, then we say, ‘OK, you’ve shown you have the ability to get yourself out of risk. You can go into the deep end. If you can’t do 25 metres, we close off the deep end to those swimmers and we identify them with a bracelet,” she said.

Heather Reinsborough, the recreation coordinator-aquatics for the Town of Riverview, is pictured. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

According to a news release from Lifesaving Society Canada, over 450 people die by drowning each year. That’s the second leading cause of unintentional death for children in the country and the third leading cause of unintentional deaths for adults.

Nearly 70 per cent of drowning fatalities are people that never intended to go into the water and were often were only 15 metres away from safety.

Some tips on how to prevent drowning include:

• Take the Lifesaving Society ‘Swim to Survive’ standard program.
• Wear a properly fitted life jacket when on a boat.
• Do not drink alcohol while participating in aquatic activities.
• Children must be supervised by an adult when around barrier-free bodies of water.

Chris Leger and his family of five came to the pool in Riverview for a swim Monday afternoon.

“My son is 11. He’s good in the water on his own. He’s not far from us,” said Leger. “With the younger ones, they’re never in the pool without us and you know, it’s just more fun that way anyway.”

A lifeguard overlooks a pool. (Source: Derek Haggett/CTV News Atlantic)

Leger wanted to make sure his three kids were prepared for summertime swims.

“We did swim lessons with them right away. Even before skating which you know in Canada you figure, ‘Oh get them to learn how to skate.’ It’s just the swimming is so important. So we really made sure early on that they could swim,” said Leger.

Drowning is such a significant issue around the world the United Nations General Assembly passed a UN resolution to name July 25 as World Drowning Prevention Day.

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