Lifesaving Society sounds alarm on drowning prevention measures


Most drownings usually occur in July when people are on summer vacation and spending time near open water.

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As the summer holidays arrive, the head of the Quebec Lifesaving Society is once again sounding the alarm on drowning prevention measures.

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Raynald Hawkins said there has already been more than 20 drownings this year in Quebec, and many of them possibly could have been prevented had basic drowning water safety measures been followed. He said there are about 80 drowning per years in Quebec.

Raynald Hawkins is the general manager of Quebec’s Société de sauvetage.
Raynald Hawkins is the general manager of Quebec’s Société de sauvetage. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette

“We used to have an average of 200 drownings per year. At this moment, we are on the same pace as last year when we had 81 drowning  situations.”

While that number has mostly declined over the decades, he said at least 20 more drownings could be prevented every year if people who  venture out into lakes and rivers in boats, canoes and kayaks wore personal flotation devices (PFDs.) He said many people bring PFDs with them in their boats, but do not bother to wear them or wear them incorrectly.

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“You know why they don’t wear them?” asked Hawkins. “Because they think they won’t need them. Or they think they will be able to put on a lifejacket  after they fall in the water.”

Hawkins said most people are overwhelmed once they fall into a lake or river.

“People think they are strong swimmers and they will be OK. But after falling into a lake of cold water, they are shocked by the water (temperature). They began to hyper ventilate.”

Hawkins said 75 per cent of all drownings occur between May and September. Most drownings usually occur in July when people are on vacation and spending time near open water. There were a total of 95 reported drownings in Quebec in 2020. About a third of the drownings occurred during boating activities, and mostly involved people who were not wearing lifejackets, he said.

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“That’s why we promote the importance of never being alone when you’re close, or in or on the water, particularly when doing boating activities without personal floatation devices (PFDs).”

Hawkins said another major cause of drownings is toddlers who have access to backyard pools. A four-year-old drowned in St. Lambert earlier this month after falling into a backyard pool.

“For backyard pools our recommendation  is to make sure you control the access to your backyard if you have a pool. It doesn’t matter if you have an above-ground or in-ground pool, because 85 per cent of toddlers access  to the backyard pool  from the house.

“I can’t put fences around the lakes and rivers, but we can save more kids in the backyard … Every year we lose 5 to 10 kids  because they have an access to a backyard pool or a lake or river when they are at the cottage.”

“All those drownings during recreational activities are preventable,” Hawkins added. “That’s why I say we need an obligation about PFDs and we need an obligation to control accessibility to the backyards. Just those two situations will save 30 drownings per year.”

Hawkins said parents must always remain close to their children and toddlers when in the water.

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