– by Doreen Marion Gee –
Drowning is the number one cause of death in children up to age four – and can happen in the blink of an eye. The exceptional water safety programs at Panorama Recreation Centre are specifically designed with the goal of preventing a deep blue watery death. And what better time to start than with young impressionable minds. The proactive Panorama programs teach children how to survive if the worst happens – protecting their lives.
Panorama’s water safety awareness initiative, “Drowning Prevention Week,” provides life-saving education from July 19th to 27th this summer. According to Dan Ovington, Panorama’s Aquatic Coordinator, children participate in activities and games to “learn valuable lessons about how to keep safe in and around the water.” Dan stresses the dual importance of this program: “It is about identifying hazards but it also teaches children how to survive if they fall in the water suddenly.” Panicking in the water can be life threatening due to water inhalation, disorientation and loss of body heat. Panorama staff teach skills that kids can use in a real emergency: how to fall in water and stay safe; how to remain calm; and how to orient themselves in the water after a fall, swim to the surface, roll on their backs and kick towards the shore. In freezing cold water, hypothermia sets in at lightning speed; knowing how to keep themselves warm in a “huddle position” can keep kids alive.
Panorama has just finished another valuable educational program involving all grade three students in School District 63. The friendly recreation centre provides free “swim-to-survive” lessons every spring that teach self-rescue skills should children fall in the water: treading water, rolling into deep water, and the front and back crawl.
Children learn about life jacket safety in many Panorama aquatic programs. Dan Ovington recommends a proper Canadian-approved standard life jacket for children when they are anywhere around water, on a boat or even in a backyard pool. These jackets will flip a child on their back and keep their head and airways out of the water, even if they are unconscious. However, nothing replaces vigilant eyes: parents should supervise their kids at all times when they are in or around water. Dan Ovington hopes that their water safety messages also get through to adults, who should also wear a proper life jacket at all times when boating.
Strong swimming skills certainly give children an edge in any emergency, but even the basic survival skills offered at Panorama will help keep them alive until help comes. By empowering children with water safety tools and knowledge, Panorama Recreation Centre is helping to preserve their lives and their future.
For more information, visit www.crd.bc.ca/panorama.
