It’s National Drowning Prevention Week and the Lifesaving Society reminds BC residents to be prepared for the worst-case scenario when heading to their favourite lake or river.
Seventeen drownings have taken place across the province so far this year, with one that occurred in West Lake outside of Prince George where a man died on Canada Day.
BC/Yukon Branch Spokesperson, Dale Miller goes over some of the numbers related to drownings.
“Forty percent of drownings occur in lakes or ponds and another 40% in rivers. We see these statistics are consistent year to year and 35% of drownings are boat-related and a lot of times people just get into situations that they are not familiar with or not ready for.”
Miller hopes another disturbing trend can be turned around with most of the drownings centered around a specific gender.
“Eighty percent of these drownings are males and we know this is something that is a consistent stat that we are trying to decrease by educating the public and certainly young males as we advise them not to take the risks that will get them in trouble.”
“In Northern British Columbia around Prince George, Bear Lake included and many others in the area, the safety is very important at this time of the year when people are going out to the water to enjoy some vacation time.”
The Lifesaving Society recommends wearing a lifejacket or personal flotation device when boating or around the water.
Always closely supervise young children near water – if you’re not within arms reach, you’ve gone too far.
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