Safety Council stresses importance of life jacket as rafting season approaches

As the warm weather arrives in Calgary, many people are looking forward to the upcoming rafting season.

This week marks National Summer Safety Week, an initiative aimed at reminding everyone to stay safe when it comes to water activities.

Lewis Smith, Spokesperson with Canada Safety Council says there is one very important thing rafters must have when heading down the river.

“Recent stats show about 82 per cent of fatalities on boats coming as a direct result of the person not wearing a personal flotation device,” he said.

“[There are] times (when) people are floating down rivers just for fun, have a life jacket available on the boat, but they’re not wearing it.”

Smith said having a personal flotation device on board, and not using it, defeats its entire purpose.

“Water is a very tricky situation, in the sense that it’s a silent killer and it kills very quickly as well. Even someone who’s face down in a very shallow amount of water, for any amount of time, can drown,” he said.

The Canada Safety Council is also stressing the importance of swimming skills in the event of an emergency, adding it’s never too late to take lessons.

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