In an effort to raise water safety awareness, Airdrie City council recognized the week of July 19 to 25 as National Drowning Prevention Week.
“We’ve had a number of drownings in my term, so I’m glad to support this,” Mayor Peter Brown said during a regular meeting July 6.
According to Kelly Carter, chief executive officer of the Lifesaving Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories, more than 400 drownings happen across the country every year, most of which are preventable. He added the third week of July has historically been the week with the most recorded drownings in Canada.
Drownings can usually be avoided by wearing a lifejacket when swimming, Carter said. According to the Lifesaving Society’s 2019 Drowning Report, 220 Albertans died as a result of drowning between 2012 and 2016. Fifty-four of these deaths, or 92 per cent, were young Albertans who were not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD).
"You can't predict when your boat is going to capsize or flip over, and high winds could pick up at any time,” Carter said. “It's like a seatbelt – you don't have time to put it on if you're getting into a car crash.”
According to the report, alcohol was also a contributing factor to 31 young adult drowning deaths in the province.
"Intoxication can impact co-ordination, and it's important you're alert and capable of responding if you get into a dangerous situation," Carter said. "Don't drink and drown is our message."
While drownings and water-related deaths are rare in Airdrie, the city has not been immune to tragic incidents. In February 2017, a six-year-old boy drowned after falling through ice on a canal in Bayside.
The Lifesaving Society's five-year report stated adults aged 24 to 34 accounted for 27 per cent of Alberta drownings from 2012 to 2016, while children under the age of five made up eight per cent of drowning victims.
The most common factor contributing to children drowning is a lack of caregiver supervision, Carter said.
"If you're responsible for watching children, we remind caregivers it only takes a few seconds for a child to drown,” he said. “It's really important they remain vigilant...as drowning can be silent."
Carter added that 100 per cent of child-related drowning deaths were due to absent or distracted supervision.
"It's important phones, computers, books or any distraction be put away if you're in charge of supervising swimming kids," he said.
Any amount of water can result in a drowning death, Carter said, which is why ensuring backyard pools – which he said have increased in popularity this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic – are empty when not being used.
Hot tubs are no exception and were the culprit of 11 per cent of drowning deaths, the report stated.
"If they're left uncovered, young children can get it when they're not supposed to, and unfortunately, they're found floating in there later," he said, adding adults and seniors consuming alcohol while in the hot tub can also drown.
Carter said sixty per cent of drownings happen from May to September. In June of this year, three girls in drowned in St. Mary River near Lethbridge.
Kate F. Mackenzie, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @katefmack
