Most drownings occur 10 feet or less from safety - averaging 20 seconds in small children and less than a minute in adults.
Living in an oceanfront community, most Squamish kids grow up with quite an extensive knowledge of the ocean and its dangers.
Nonetheless, it never hurts to give the younger generation a bit more expertise early on, and the Squamish Coast Guard Auxiliary is launching the Water Wise Safety Program to ensure just that.
"It's our mandate to promote boating safety and awareness and this initiative falls in line with that," said Rebecca Spitzer, auxiliary member and Water Wise Safety co-ordinator.
"We're hoping to get it going before summer vacation starts and everyone's heading out onto the water."
The Squamish Water Wise Safety Program was created through the Water Wise Wisdom Program, a Lifesaving Society boat safety initiative. The Lifesaving Society is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to reduce water-related death and injury. The society has been educating the public and training lifeguards and lifesavers in B.C. since 1911.
Spitzer said the initiative will be structured much the same as local AdventureSmart programs run by Search and Rescue (SAR), and Squamish Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers will visit Grade 4 through 6 classes in Squamish to deliver educational presentations.
They will focus on being prepared for boating by getting a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, making sure there is a trip plan, assessing the weather and making sure everything on the safe boater's checklist is on board.
It incorporates games, activities and contests to engage the students as much as possible and each child will receive a Water Wise Wisdom certificate, a code of responsibility trip planner, a safe boater's checklist, an activity sheet, a Lifesaving Society tattoo and a safety whistle.
The five key messages are:
It won't work if you don't wear it (always wear an approved PFD or lifejacket);
Be an environmentally friendly boater;
Get properly trained;
Enjoy boating safely; and
Have fun in the sun but don't drink 'til you're done.
"This way if we make sure to teach these concepts to the kids, they'll inform their parents about that they should be doing," said SAR volunteer Al Modin, who organizes the AdventureSmart Hug a Tree and Survive programs, also taught in Squamish elementary schools.
The Squamish Coast Guard Auxiliary already has a program to emphasize the importance of wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs) or lifejackets. Kids Don't Float is a Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Pacific Region program that runs on the honour system and offers free day use of PFDs for kids and toddlers from a gazebo at the public dock.
The presentations will begin in the coming month and Spitzer said the Coast Guard Auxiliary is promoting prevention versus rescue.
"Basically we're trying to work ourselves out of a job," Spitzer said.
"If everyone is aware and takes the proper precautions then we're not needed."
The District of Squamish and the Squamish Emergency Program support the Water Wise Safety initiative.
