(Montreal) Many Quebecers will want to cool off this week, with the heat wave that is announced for the next few days in the province. At the start of the swimming season, however, we must be careful to prevent drowning, reminds the Lifesaving Society.
Raynald Hawkins, general manager of the Society, hopes that the population will retain some safety measures in the coming days.
“The concern we have at the Lifesaving Society is that when there are heat waves coming, people necessarily want to be near the water, on the water and in the water, which makes me at the same time increase the odds of maybe having more incidents,” he says.
As municipal swimming pools are not yet open in several municipalities, citizens will have to turn to residential swimming pools or natural bodies of water. In Montreal, several public swimming pools open their doors around June 17.
“It’s even more important, when it’s hot, to make sure that the backyard pool is really inaccessible [même] if we haven’t opened it up for swimming,” recalls Mr. Hawkins. It is essential to secure your body of water for both neighbors and people who live in your home.
“Generally, the neighborhood has been pretty well established for a number of years,” says Hawkins. But we know that the majority of drownings among young children, and even among the elderly, it is from the residence that they have direct access to the body of water. »
If your pool is open for swimming, then you must ensure that a designated lifeguard, who has no other duties than to supervise bathers, is present at all times. No way to watch out of the corner of your eye while gardening or reading a book, argues Mr. Hawkins.
It is also important not to swim alone, according to the executive director of the Lifesaving Society.
“50% of our drowning victims in Quebec in recent years, and this is even truer with the pandemic, people were alone. It doesn’t matter the age, it doesn’t matter the activity,” says Hawkins.
If a citizen chooses to swim in a natural body of water, this instruction is all the more important. You also have to be aware of it. “The majority of drownings happen in open water,” says Hawkins.
The life jacket is also required when practicing a water sport. “It’s not because it’s very hot in a convertible that I don’t fasten my car seat belt”, illustrates Mr. Hawkins, recalling that the heat is not a good excuse not to wear flotation jacket.
Shortage of lifeguards persists
It is still too early to know if municipal pools will have enough lifeguards when they open their doors.
Mr. Hawkins says he hears that “the lifeguards who were there last year are coming back this year, which is perhaps reassuring for all employers”. But they still have to be there when the pool opens, he stresses.
“We estimate that there is still a shortage of 2,000 to 3,000 surveillance workers throughout Quebec, depending on the type of water body, hence the importance of continuing the free training program. says Hawkins.
Lifeguard training has been offered free of charge since last fall. From January to March 2023, the Lifesaving Society recorded 40% more registrations in the first courses to become a lifeguard. However, this does not guarantee that all aspiring lifeguards will actually work in the field, Mr. Hawkins nuances.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.