With a record hot weekend upcoming as well as the Canada Day holiday, the BC Coroners Service is urging residents and visitors to take extra care while enjoying recreational water activities, especially boating and swimming.

“Hot weather draws people to B.C.’s beaches, rivers and lakes,” noted Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe. “They’re wonderful places for recreation, but people need to be aware of basic safety precautions and minimize some of the inherent risks of water-based activities.”

Coroner’s statistics consistently show a spike in drowning deaths each summer, with July and August being the riskiest months. In each of the past seven years, at least 30% of the accidental drowning deaths for the entire year took place during those two months. An average of about 80 people die in accidental drownings in B.C. each year. 2014 appears to have had a reduced drowning rate with preliminary statistics showing 57 such deaths.

Boating and swimming are the highest-risk water activities, but even those walking along waterside trails or cliffs should take care. About one-sixth of those who drowned fell into the water from shore.

Two key prevention steps that research shows would significantly reduce the risk of drowning are:

• In any small craft wear a properly-fitted personal floatation device (PFD) at all times when on the water. Having one in the boat is not sufficient, as in as many as 70% of boating incidents, the person becomes separated from the boat.
• Do not mix alcohol with boating, swimming or other recreational water activities. A study published in the journal “Injury Prevention” suggests that someone with a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 has about 10 times the risk of drowning during boating, and that even a small amount of alcohol can increase the risk.  

Media Contacts:

Barbara McLintock
Coroner, Strategic Programs
BC Coroners Service
250 356-9253 or 250 213-5020

BACKGROUNDER

Water safety tips

• Always wear a properly fitting Personal Floatation Device (PFD) when engaged in boating or tubing activities. Children, non-swimmers and weak swimmers should also wear a PFD when wading or playing in the water at a river or lakeside.
• Alcohol and water-related activities do not mix, any more than alcohol and driving do. Alcohol impairs your co-ordination and judgment, and this substantially adds to the risk inherent in swimming or boating. Impairment by alcohol or drugs is also often a contributing factor in cases in which someone has accidentally fallen into water from shore. B.C. statistics, like those from elsewhere in North America, show that between one-third and one-half of those who drown are impaired by alcohol or drugs at the time.
• Be aware of the water conditions where you are planning your activities. Check the weather forecast before heading out, and also do a visual inspection of the area. Do not head blindly down a river or stream without being aware of the water conditions further downstream.
• If you are hosting visitors from another province or country, ensure that they are informed about the conditions that prevail in the lake or river you are visiting. Warn them about steep drop-offs, rapids, and any other hazards.
• Always supervise children anywhere near water. Pre-school aged children can drown in only a few centimetres of water, and the drowning is often silent. Proper supervision for children of this age involves always having them within arm’s length of a responsible adult.
• Never dive into unknown waters. Unexpectedly shallow water or hidden obstacles underwater can easily prove fatal. Diving from cliffs or from other great heights is an exceptionally high risk activity.
• The report of the BC Coroners Service Child Death Review Panel on Child and Youth Drowning can be found at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/child-death-review/reports.htm
• Further information on drownings in B.C. can be found at the BC Coroners website at: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners/reports/statistical.htm under Recreational Activities.
• For further information about water safety tips, visit the following sites:
• Canadian Red Cross: http://www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/swimming-and-water-safety-tips-and-resources/swimming--boating-and-water-safety-tips)
• The Lifesaving Society: http://www.lifesaving.bc.ca/watersmart

Media Contacts:

Barbara McLintock
Coroner, Strategic Programs
BC Coroners Service
250 356-9253 or 250 213-5020