NATIONAL DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK

LIFESAVING SOCIETY ONTARIO

DROWNING IS PREVENTABLE

• TODAY MARKS THE OFFICIAL START OF NATIONAL

DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK (NDPW), WHICH TAKES

PLACE JULY 19 - 25, 2020.

• THIS WEEK IS PART OF THE LIFESAVING SOCIETY’S ANNUAL

DROWNING PREVENTION AWARENESS EVENT.

• WITH OVER 400 CANADIANS DROWNING IN PREVENTABLE

WATER-RELATED INCIDENTS ANNUALLY, DROWNING IS THE

THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF UNINTENTIONAL DEATH AMONG

CANADIANS UNDER 60+ YEARS OF AGE. EVEN ONE

DROWNING IS TOO MANY.

• FOLLOW LIFESAVING SOCIETY ONTARIO AND US ON

SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK FOR A NEW WATER SAFETY

MESSAGE EVERY DAY.

WATCH ME, NOT YOUR PHONE

• DROWNING IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF

UNINTENTIONAL INJURY DEATHS AMONG

CANADIAN CHILDREN UNDER 10 YEARS OF AGE.

• 92% OF DROWNINGS IN CHILDREN OCCUR

BECAUSE SUPERVISION WAS ABSENT OR THERE

WAS A DISTRACTION.

• WHETHER IT'S A BACKYARD POOL, THE BEACH OR

THE BATH ENSURE YOU ALWAYS STAY WITHIN

ARM'S REACH, EDUCATE ON THE DANGERS OF

WATER AND PROVIDE ACTIVE, DIRECT SUPERVISION

BY DESIGNATING A RESPONSIBLE ADULT.

BE BOAT SMART® – WEAR A LIFEJACKET

• ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO ENSURE YOU ARE BOAT

SMART THIS SUMMER IS BY GETTING CARDED! GET THE

PLEASURE CRAFT OPERATOR CARD AND CHECK OUT

STARTBOATING.CA TO LEARN ABOUT THE BASICS ON

HOW TO BE A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE BOATER.

• PART OF BEING A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE BOATER IS BY

ALWAYS WEARING A LIFEJACKET OR PFD AND BOAT

SOBER!

• IN 87% OF BOATING DEATHS THE VICTIM WAS NOT

WEARING A PFD AND IN 36% THEY WERE UNDER THE

INFLUENCE.

LEARN TO SWIM TO SURVIVE®

• SWIM SKILLS ARE ONES THAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT, THEY

ARE NOT INNATE.

• MOST DROWNINGS OCCUR CLOSE TO SAFETY – CAN YOU

SURVIVE AND ACCIDENTAL OR UNINTENTIONAL FALL INTO

THE WATER?

• SWIM TO SURVIVE® TEACHES THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO

SURVIVE AN UNEXPECTED FALL INTO DEEP WATER.

• MAKE SURE ALL FAMILY MEMBERS CAN LEARN THE 3 SKILLS:

- ROLL INTO DEEP WATER

- TREAD WATER FOR 1 MINUTE

- SWIM 50 METERS

BE WATER SMART ® - SWIM WITH A BUDDY

• EVERY YEAR MANY DROWNINGS OCCUR WHILE ENGAGED

IN AQUATIC ACTIVITIES - WHERE PEOPLE INTENDED ON

BEING IN THE WATER, BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG.

• 20% OF PEOPLE DROWNED UNEXPECTEDLY AND 2/3

OCCUR IN OPEN WATER.

• 75% OF DROWNINGS IN OLDER ADULTS (85+) WERE

ALONE.

• REMEMBER TO ALWAYS SWIM WITH SOMEONE CAPABLE

OF GETTING HELP, REGARDLESS OF YOUR AGE, STAY

SOBER WHEN IN AND AROUND THE WATER AND BE AWARE

OF RISKS WHEN SWIMMING.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

• BETWEEN 2011-2015 THE HIGHEST WATER-RELATED FATALITY

RATES INCLUDED BABY BOOMERS 50-64 YEARS OF AGE AND

YOUNG ADULTS 20-34 YEARS OF AGE.

• IT IS IMPORTANT FOR BOTH AGE GROUPS TO KNOW YOUR

LIMITS AND KNOW THE DANGERS OF BEING IN, ON OR

AROUND THE WATER.

• THE MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR DROWNING AMONG ADULTS

AGED 35 AND OLDER INCLUDE NOT WEARING A PFD WHEN

RELEVANT, BEING ALONE AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.

• BOTH CANNABIS AND ALCOHOL AFFECT JUDGEMENT, BALANCE

AND REFLEXES, ALL WHICH ARE NEEDED IN AN EMERGENCY.

• NO MATTER YOUR AGE IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE ACCOMPANIED

WHEN IN, ON OR AROUND WATER.

BE WATERSMART® ALL YEAR ROUND

• DROWNING PREVENTION IS A YEAR-ROUND

EFFORT AND SWIMMING IS A SKILL THAT

LASTS A LIFETIME.

• LEARN IMPORTANT SELF-RESCUE AND FIRST

AID SKILLS SO YOU CAN HELP IN AN

EMERGENCY AND MEASURE THE ICE BEFORE

GOING OUT ON IT.

• IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BE SAFE IN, ON

AND AROUND WATER AND ICE.