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| | 28 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 30, 1991 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Water safety is common By Gillian Barfoot Lake Scugog is a popular summer playground for locals and visitors alike. But swimming and boating can both be considered high risk activities, especially when other factors, such as alcohol, come into play. For example, 84 drownings in 1989 in Ontario were related to drinking. And if that's not discouraging enough, drinking while operating a boat is a criminal offense. According to the Canadian Red Cross Society, over 60 per cent of all drownings occur when the victim falls into the water unexpectedly. Over one- third of these victims -- which were mostly males -- were im- paired by alcohol. Swimming The Red Cross has been in- volved in the training and teaching of basic swimming and water safety fundamentals for more than forty years. The swimming instructors who teach the Red Cross course at Birdseye Pool in Port Perry are well aware of the impor- tance of water safety. They teach 85 students every morning at the pool, and every swimming lesson starts with safety questions and drills. Instructor Melissa Bramham says that each level of the Red Cross course requires students to meet certain water safety re- quirements. Beginners must know their pool rules, she explains, such as don't run, don't horse around and always swim with a buddy. Then, as they progress, stu- dents learn more advanced wa- ter safety rules and techniques, CcCoLDWECLL BANKER O such as how to identify bouyant objects, how to test ice, what to do in case of hypothermia, res- cue techniques, and artificial resuscitation. Hypothermia Even strong swimmers must beware of the danger of hypo- thermia. Hypothermia is not just a winter problem, warns Central Ontario Red Cross Area Co- ordinator Joanne Bettauer. Many lakes are cold, even in summer, she says, citing a re- cent drowning in Lake Ontario that was due to hypothermia. It only takes about 10-15 minutes in cold water for your body temperature to lower to dangerous levels. Swimming does not help you to keep warm, and may even cool you down faster. The symptoms are shivering, 'mind confusion, and numbness in the hands and feet. Body heat must be restored quickly, either by administer- ing direct heat or wrapping a blanket around the survivor. Diving Diving can be a hazard for swimmers. Especially in hot weather, an area of deep water one week may become shallow water the next. In 1989, 23 young men broke their necks after diving into shallow water and hitting their head on the bottom. While just two of the victims died, the sur- vivors are all paraplegics or quadriplegics. Just recently a man dove into shallow water near Wash- burn Island and may have per- manently damaged his spine. COUNTRY LANE REALTY LTD. Hwy. 7A & High Street - Port Perry, Ont. RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE 985-7351 Aa adepentent'y owned and we sted member broker of (owed Banker Nidstes of Gonads Inc © "People - like trees - often times need SI ONER ORACLE IR UCT (11 1:4 7 WEDDINGS SPECIAL OCCASIONS Office |_985-0170 | CORPORATE ACCOUNTS aC LIMOUSINE SERVICE specializing in AIRPORT SERVICE BUSINESS TRIPS PLEASURE TRIPS Evenings Call Collect - (705) 357-2570 J II-- AA 2 SEND or RECEIVE eo Letters e Invoices e News Releases © ¢ Real Estate Transactions * Any kind of important documents ANYWHERE WORLDWIDE - ALL DAY/NIGHT SERVICE PORT PERRY STAR - OFFICE CENTRE 188 MARY STREET - PHONE 985-7383 PORT PERRY, ONT. FAX (416) 985-3708 sense Melissa Bramham, right, reviews the finer points of artificial resuscitation with two of her swimming students at Birdseye pool in Port Perry. Water safety and rescue techniques are an integral part of the Red Cross swimming courses taught at the pool this summer. According to the Royal Life Saving Society Canada, diving into shallow water causes 70 per cent of all sport and recrea- tion-related spinal injuries. And surprisingly enough, private backyard pools are the major site of aquatic spinal in- juries. The Red Cross suggests that when using a pool slide, you should always go down feet first. Most slides are placed in shallow water areas, which makes it possible to receive se- rious head or spine injuries. Boating The Department of Trans- port requires that all boats un- der- 5.5 metres (18 feet) must be equipped with the following items: - An approved Personal Flo- tation Device (PFD) or ap-. proved lifejacket for each per- son aboard. -A bailing device. : "Two oars and oar-locks or two paddles. -an efficient sound signal, such as a whistle. -A class Bl fire extinguisher if the boat has an inboard mo- tor, a permanently-fixed or built-in fuel tanks or a cooking or heating appliance that burns liquid or gaseous fuel. -Lights must comply with Collision Regulations if perma- nently fitted. A sailboard is legally defined as a vessel, and must also fol- low those rules. Boaters should also have on hand emergency supplies such as a complete change of warm clothing in a waterproof con- tainer; a flashlight, rope and knife; energy rations such as chocolate, nuts and raisins and a first aid kit. Make sure your boat and equipment is always in good working order, and check the weather forecast before you leave. It's also dangerous to overload your boat, especially if you find yourself in bad weather. Be sure not to stand up in the boat. The Red Cross points out that more than half of all boating accidents result from standing up. It's a good idea to practise getting into a boat after falling out, and know what to do if your boat capsizes. Lifejacket or PFD? Even though every vessel must carry a lifejacket or per- sonal flotation device (PFD) for each person, they will not help you if they are stowed under a seat. According to the Red Cross, approximately 80 per cent of all boating-related drownings in Canada could have been pre- vented if boaters were wearing a lifejacket or PFD. The Department of Trans- port (DOT) -approved standard lifejacket is the keyhole style, designed to turn an uncon- scious person, who has fallen in the water, from the face- down to the face-up position. Most lifejackets use a Kapok filling for buoyancy. However, if the lifejacket is punctured, it will become water-logged quickly and lose its buoyancy. A DOT-approved PFD is available in several styles, the most common being the vest style. They are designed to keep a conscious person afloat, and they have less bouyancy and turning ability than the stan- dard lifejackets. The PFDs contain man- made flotation foam, either polyethylene or P.V.C. and are more comfortable than the life- jackets. To encourage boaters to wear lifejackets, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Dur- ham Regional Police, Red Cross, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and the Royal Life Saving Society have co-operated to mount the "Don't Be A Sucker" program. The OPP and regional ma- rine patrols encourage chil- dren to wear a lifejacket or per- sonal flotation device (PFD) by rewarding them with candy suckers. More than 25,000 suckers will be given away during the program, which runs from June 30 to Sept. 2. "The suckers light up the kids eyes, that's for sure," says Peterborough marine officer, Const. Hobbins. "What better way to get a kid to wear a life jacket than to of- fer a reward?" He says a lot more kids are wearing lifejackets since the program began. Most adults don't wear their lifejackets, says John Mackey, owner-operator of the Port Perry Marina. He agrees that children should wear them, at least un- til they learn to swim, as well as people who are in smaller, easily-tipped boats. Mr. Mackey, who is a mem- ber of the Ontario Marine Op- erators' Association, believes that there are enough regula- tions for boaters. The government looks at the statistics which say more peo- ple are getting injured in boat- ing accidents, he explains, but the population has also in- creased so that percentage- wise, the numbers are down. "We don't need more rules. What we need is more enforce- ment." He says that some boaters are unaware of the Depart- ment of Transport require- ments, but he ensures that his rental boats always go out with the proper safety equipment on them. "Boating safety is common sense," he says, adding that boating has become a lot safer than it used to be. The number of drownings in Ontario have gone down, Ms. Bettauer agrees. "Most boaters who aren't drinking are safe," she says. She believes that if more adults wore lifejackets, there would be fewer fatal boating accidents. : Larger boats often have them stowed away where pas- sengers don't have easy access, and smaller boats often don't even carry them, she says. Ms. Bettauer stresses that adult supervision for kids of all ages is also important. "Don't assume that if a child has on life-saving equipment that they're safe," she warns. "They can get in trouble even if they're good swimmers." However, adults -- mostly males in the 18-35 age group -- have the highest proportion of accidents, she says. That's why the Red Cross 1991 water safety campaign is designed to remind parents to follow the safety rules that their children often already know. "Kids follow the rules," states the poster. " Do you?" safety