Town of Vermilion declares July 18-24 National Drowning Prevention Week

The Town of Vermilion has declared July 18-25 as National Drowning Prevention week. Canada currently faces a major problem – and a preventable one: over 400 people die every year from drowning.

Warm summer weather makes people across the Lakeland Region think about staying cool. Year after year, they flock to swimming pools or natural bodies of water across the province to get wet and beat the heat. Unfortunately, that also means that every year we see a spike in drowning deaths.

The Lifesaving Society is a national, charitable organization working to prevent drowning and reduce water-related injury through there training programs, Water Smart® public education, drowning research and aquatic safety standards. The Lifesaving Society also certifies Canada’s National Lifeguards.

The Lifesaving Society designates July 18-24, 2021 as National Drowning Prevention Week (NDPW) to focus community and media attention on the drowning problem and drowning prevention. The Town of Vermilion believes promotion of this week is vital to the community.

National Drowning Prevention Week is one of the Society’s leading public education initiatives, with events taking place across the country to focus media and community attention on the drowning problem and drowning prevention.

During this week, the Society urges individuals to: Supervise children in and around the water. If you’re not within arms’ reach, you’ve gone too far. Always supervise children. Refrain from behaviors that may result in intoxication while participating in aquatic activities and always wear a lifejacket when boating.

If every Canadian followed these steps, we could greatly reduce Canada’s drowning rate.