Public Reminded To Swim Safely This Summer

The public is reminded to swim safely this summer as drowning deaths continue to occur every year in Manitoba.

According to the 2015 Manitoba Drowning Report by the Lifesaving Society and the Drowning Prevention Research Centre, a total of 139 unintentional water-related fatalities occurred in Manitoba between 2008 and 2012. While data since 2012 is only preliminary, the report suggests approximately 12 drowning deaths occurred in 2013, and at least 15 in 2014.

Aquatic Programmer at the Winkler Aquatic Centre, Jalysa Rempel explains one of the most important practices is swimming with others and keeping an eye out for someone struggling in the water.

"Always having a buddy is very important, so for young children being within arms reach of their parents at all times is extremely important," Rempel says. "Even the older kids who are very strong swimmers should always have someone there with them and should be keeping an eye on each other."

Rempel says swimming lessons are also a crucial component for a child's water safety education.

"We teach a lot of water safety within our swimming lessons," Rempel says. "And those are the things we like to go over, boat safety, swimming with friends, and we also do a little bit of very basic first aid."

The 2015 Manitoba Drowning Report suggests children under five in Manitoba remain at higher risk compared to other Provinces. Despite a downward trend in water-related fatalities, under five drowning rates are 2.1 per 100,000, compared to the national drowning rate of 1.1 per 100,000 in that age group. However, by age the report also finds young adults 20-24 have the highest drowning rates (4.6 per 100,000) followed by teenagers 15-19 and adults 30-34 with 3.0 and 3.3 per 100,000 respectively.

In terms of gender, the statistics show a majority of drowning victims in the Province are men, with a water-related fatality rate at 3.8 per 100,000 population, compared to 0.7 for women.

Natural bodies of water accounted for most drowning deaths in Manitoba, with lakes claiming 40 percent of deaths, followed by rivers and streams at 35 percent. However, drowning in lifeguard supervised locations continues to be a rarity, with only 1 percent of water-related deaths occurring in a supervised pool or beach.

The greatest risk factors include swimming alone or without supervision, not wearing a PFD when relevant, swimming after dark, and alcohol consumption.

For more information go to lifesaving.mb.ca or keep an eye out for National Drowning Prevention Week this July 19 to 25. The event increases awareness of the need for drowning prevention across Canada.