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Chatham-Kent Safety Village Chatter

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A Mother's Plea for Water Safety this Labour Day Weekend

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

by Barb Lovell, Executive Director

As the Executive Director for the Chatham-Kent Childrenís Safety Village I am well aware of the news reports of our area headlining tragedies over the years for children. It's heart wrenching, and as a mother, I empathize with the parents and families wondering how they will get through.

It is my job to investigate and work with local emergency services, hospitals, and health units to study injury stats and reports to determine who in our community is most at risk, and how we can educate and train the children of Chatham-Kent injury prevention so they learn at a young age the right way to safety and to lower these stats for deaths, injuries and disabilities specifically to our area. Basically, we work to keep your kids safe.

We truly believe that 99% of all deaths, injuries and disabilities are PREVENTABLE.

As I have chosen to live in Chatham-Kent my whole life I have loved everything that it has to offer including access to local beaches, great shopping, local produce, rural roots and a history of our home towns that beats any of the best seller books, just visit a local coffee shop early in the a.m. and hear it for yourself!

I have worked with children for over fourteen years, and now I love having the opportunity to provide safety training for thousands of local area kids through a collaborative group including our sponsors, donators, partners, board, volunteers, and staff.

As my children and friends know I am all about safety first, which makes my job so fitting. No matter what picnic, house repair, class outing, or pool party we go to they joke about my "issues" of safety. Of course, like any mother, I want the best for my kids and everyone around me to be safe. I've always believed that's my job as a Mom, caring friend and family member.

But, recently, I realized that even my family is not invincible and that I can't always be there to protect my kids now that they are growing older. I have had a very difficult time dealing with this recent event. So I was encouraged by a good friend to share this story with you in hopes that my community, that I love so much, will slow down and learn from it in order to keep their kids safe.

As loving parents we put the sunscreen on, we put the water wings on and we supervise our young children. As much as I wish that were still true, I face the fact that my children are now teens and experiencing things without the watchful eye of Mom praying that they have listened and understood to my "safety first" lectures.
My daughters told me the story and I still shudder to think what could have happened.

My two teen daughters and two teen friends were visiting family at the lake recently. The four kids jumped on an air mattress and were enjoying each other's company.
Before they realized, they had drifted out into the lake much farther than they would have liked. In fact, they were so far out on the lake that my son and his friend were told to canoe out to the kids to let them know they need to come back in.

The kids soon realized that drifting that far out into the lake was harder to paddle back in by hand. In fact, they realized they were fighting a stronger wind and current then they experienced closer to shore.

Panic was starting to set in for the kids. They were so far off shore they could no longer see the people on the beach. The two oldest, (my daughter and her friend) jumped off and determined that they would swim the air mattress back in. One would push and one would pull the air mattress while the other two remained on it. (Keep in mind, neither of my girls are strong swimmers and have not grown up near a lake or had much lake experience).

After gaining some distance, they stopped to rest, realizing that the current and wind only pushed them back out defeating the distance they gained.

Yelling for help at this point was a definite decision, only to go unheard. You see, the beach is a private beach and the teens had drifted so far off shore that no one could hear them.

After struggling for quite some time, my daughter and her friend decided to swim to shore for help and leave the other two on the air mattress till someone could get them, they didn't think they could swim that far.

Part way back to shore my daughter's friend wore of exhaustion. He could not swim any farther so she decided to stay with him and encourage him to relax and float. Treading water was not an option as he had no energy left.

As they were in the water, for however long, they both grew very tired, the other two still on the air mattress.

This was a disaster in the making.

Finally, it was discovered by the group that they were with, that the kids were in trouble and they sought help, a boat appeared to retrieve the kids.

My daughter is covered in bruises as she had no energy to pull herself into the boat and they were a little sunburnt and dehydrated. My other daughter was distraught but considering the alternative, they are all very lucky.

As a "safety first" kind of Mom, this has been difficult for me to digest.

I'm so thankful for having my children today and we talk often about the event, but I share this message with you in hopes that when you venture out to the lake for the day or this holiday weekend, that you take a moment to think about safety first. If measures would have been taken by responsible adults and safety procedures in place it could have all been prevented.

Please, ensure that your private beaches are equipped with safety equipment and emergency measures, and be sure to discuss these with your family members and guests.

And remember......SAFETY FIRST.

Lake Safety this 2009 Labour Day

The lure of the warm sand on our bare feet, the calming sound of the water gently caressing the beach shore along with that oh so familiar refreshing feeling after splashing around in the lake leave everyone wanting more on the beaches each summer.

For many this year, this fun time has been cut short and lives have been senselessly taken much too soon before their time because of a few simple safety precautions on the water that could have been used to prevent these deaths.

The CHATHAM-KENT CHILDREN'S SAFETY VILLAGE urges everyone to please remember that these fun filled water ways are also an underlying danger zone that can potentially cut a family/friend fun time into a tragedy very quickly if safety is not considered before an outing.

With so many different water activities it's imperative that beach goers, boaters and fishermen alike remember and to use preventable measures to ensure that everyone is prepared.

A few safety tips to ensure a good time include:
Sun Safety
– remember to apply sunscreen often and drink plenty of water.
-wear light coloured clothes and a wide brimmed hat to protect your skin from the sun.
Boat & Personal Water Craft Safety
– ensure that you know local laws regarding the operation of your boat or personal water craft before operating them and obey them.
-Life jackets and PFDs are required, please wear them.
Swim Safely
-make sure that everyone knows how to swim.
-Remember the buddy system? Never swim alone and ensure your family/friends know where you are and everyone is supervised at all times.
-An area with a lifeguard is even better. Any swimmer, even good ones, can have an unexpected emergency in the water.
-Stay clear of areas with murky water, drop-offs, and underwater plant life as these can be dangerous. Avoid diving. Enter the water feet first.
- Avoid the use of air mattresses, or blow up boats that can drift or be swept away.