Water and Ice Safety

• Drowning Dangers, Water and Boating Safety (Part 1)

• Flash Floods (Part 1)• Ice Safety (Part 2)• The Dangers of

Hypothermia (Part 3)

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Water & Ice SafetyPart 1: Water Safety

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Drowning Dangers

• Each year in Canada close to 500 people die in water related accidents

• Drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death for Canadians under 60 years of age

www.lifesavingsociety.com

Drowning Prevention & Water Safety

Did you know…?• Most drownings

occur 3-15 meters from safety?

www.lifesavingsociety.comhttp://content.wuala.com

Water Safety Skills

It is recommended that anyone who is on or near water should be able to do the following:

• Roll in deep water to orient themselves to the surface in case of an unexpected fall

• Tread water for at least 1 minute

• Swim 50 meterswww.lifesavingsociety.com

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Boating Safety

www.mvs.usace.army.milwww.tc.gc.ca

Pleasure Craft Operator Card

• Mandatory for all operators of watercraft under 4 m in length, including personal watercraft

• Can be completed on-line from an Accredited Course Provider.

http://leisureboats.ca www.tc.gc.ca

Boating Safety--- Boaters must have the following items in their boats:

• One approved lifejacket or PFD (personal flotation device) per person on board

• One manual-propelling device or one anchor with a minimum of 15 m of rope/chain

• One bailer or manual pump

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www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/whitewater-raft-paddle-rafting.html

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Boating Safety--- Boaters must have the following items in their boats:

• Navigation lights if boat is operated after sunset, before sunrise or in poor visibility

• A sound signaling device

• A buoyant heaving line that is at least 50 m long

www.lifesavingsociety.com www.waterrescue.marsars.com/cg030001.html

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Other Tips for Safe Boating

• Always wear your lifejacket or PFD (90% of drowning victims in boating accidents were not wearing them)

• Do not mix drinking and boating

• Check the weather forecast ahead of time

• Drive at appropriate speeds

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www.boatcourse.com

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Other Tips for Safe Boating

• Stay seated• Do not overload the

boat• Carry a VHF radio or

cellphone in a waterproof bag

• Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back

www.lifesavingsociety.com

www.waterproof-paper.com

www.tc.gc.ca

Other Dangerous Water Conditions

Flash Flooding:• Water levels in rivers and

streams suddenly and unexpectedly rise.

• Little warning• Fast moving

Causes of Flash Floods:• Heavy prolonged rainfall (slow

moving thunderstorms)• Sudden snow melt in the

spring • Heavy rain in the spring when

the ground is frozen can cause excess run-off into rivers

• Excess water is funneled into river/stream channel causing water levels to rise over banks

www.weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/flood/about.html

Grand River in Flood in Galt

Peak water flow at noon on December 29/08. Normal flows are 15-30 m3/sec. Today the flow was just over 600 m3/sec at this time. Flows were about 1000 m3/sec in the 1974 flood

www.flickr.com/photos/body_soul_spirit/3149659138/ (E. Ruth)

Safety Precautions

• The MNR and GRCA monitor river and waterbody conditions and will issue warnings about dangerous or potentially dangerous water conditions.

• Check local weather forecasts and watershed conditions before going near streams, rivers and waterbodies.

www.grandriver.ca

Local watershed conditions can be obtained at

http://www.grandriver.ca/ click on “River Data”www.grandriver.ca/index/document.cfm?Sec=2&Sub1=6&Sub2=10