Water Safety Tips from the BC Coroner's Service (Jul 12 2010 - 22:00)

SPLASH INTO SUMMER SAFELY: TIPS FOR WATER ACTIVITIES VANCOUVER – With temperatures soaring across the province, the B.C. Coroner’s Service is cautioning British Columbians who are heading to lakes and rivers to be careful when participating in water-related recreation. While data for this year is still unavailable, last year in B.C., 66 people lost their lives as a result of activities in and around water, with males accounting for 86 per cent of those deaths. The most common cause of water-related deaths in 2009 was drowning, at 69 per cent. A large proportion of the deaths, a total of 28, occurred in July and August. Of those, 19 fatalities – or 68 per cent – were the result of drowning during activities such as swimming, power boating, diving and white-water rafting, among others. Most deaths occurred in the Island region (23 deaths or 35 per cent) and the Interior region (22 deaths or 33 per cent). These statistics do not include deaths resulting from motor vehicle or aircraft crashes into water, or other non-water-related issues while on watercraft. The Canadian Red Cross offers the following safety tips to prevent water related injuries and deaths: http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=18499&tid=024. · When boating, ensure everyone in the boat has their properly fitted lifejacket on and fastened. · Do not consume alcohol before or during swimming or boating activities. · Be cautious about swimming in currents, and know what to do if you get into trouble. · Get trained through swimming and water safety lessons. Get your Pleasure Craft Operator Card if you operate a boat. Know how to respond in an emergency by taking first-aid lessons. · Ensure children are supervised, whether at home or on vacation. Adult supervision is the best protection for children – even for those who can swim. · Ensure that your backyard pool is fully fenced with a self-closing, self-latching gate. · When not using your home pool, clear all toys out of the water and away from the edge. These can often tempt children to the water’s edge. · Ensure you have emergency equipment including a first aid kit and a phone in the immediate pool area.

Special Public Avalanche Warning (Jan 15 2010 - 09:00)

The following is a Special Public Avalanche Warning from the Canadian Avalanche Centre SPAW January 14, 2010 What’s the problem? We’re waiting for the freeze and it’s not coming There is a main persistent weak layer and a couple of secondary ones with more loading expected. Cooler weather will greatly improve this situation but the forecast is not promising Warm temperatures, rain at low elevations, heavy snow at higher elevations, and strong winds is producing cycles of avalanche activity involving both the old, deeply buried weak layers and storm snow layers. Snow and wind are expected to slow down or stop during the weekend but warm temperatures are forecast to continue. Things are not expected to improve significantly until sometime next week after several days of cooler weather. Even though fewer avalanches are occurring, those that are being triggered are larger and more destructive. This is a common recipe for avalanche fatalities: downward trending avalanche activity with upward trending consequences. Where is the problem most pronounced? The magnitude of the problem does not decrease at lower elevations as it often does: although the root causes are different, significant hazard exists at Treeline and Below Treeline as well as in Alpine elevations. All aspects. The Northern Rocky Mountains, the Cariboo Mountains, the eastern Monashee Mountains, the Selkirk Mountains, and the Purcell Mountains. This includes riding areas accessed from and around: Tumbler Ridge Grande Prairie Prince George Grande Cache Dawson Creek/Ft. St. John Revelstoke Golden McBride Valemount Blue River Wells Williams Lake Clearwater Invermere Nakusp New Denver Kaslo How to manage risk: Check the CAC forecasts at www.avalanche.ca for the most current and up to date information to help you plan your trip. Wait until several days of cool weather have stabilized the snowpack. Increase your margins of safety even if you do not observe any avalanche activity. Travel Recommendations: Stick to flat terrain not threatened from above One at a time when crossing avalanche paths. Regroup in heavy timber or in obvious non-avalanche terrain Boondocking in very low angle terrain with no large open slopes above. Highmarking is not recommended.

Missing Teen Rescued on Sumas Mountain (Jan 15 2010 - 09:00)

Full story available at Abbotsford news http://www.bclocalnews.com/breaking_news/80958027.html CFVSAR was assisted at the scene by the Mission and Chilliwack search and rescue groups. In all, about 25 members were involved. Sebastian was on a school hike with five other students, a teacher and two teaching assistants along the old Centennial Trail. He was in the middle of the group on the way back and out of sight from the others, when he took a wrong turn. Dave Stephen, communications manager with the Abbotsford school district, said it appears that Sebastian followed the other trail, got disoriented, went towards a creek and ended up in a ravine. He likely suffered a fall along the way. The teen was noticed missing when he didn't report back to the trailhead. His group tried to find him, and then notified Abbotsford Police when they couldn't. Holeczek said one of the challenges for the rescuers was the embankment was rugged and steep, with a vertical slope in some spots. Another challenge was that Sebastian was found on the other side of Wade's Creek, which is knee-deep, fast-moving, filled with boulders, and about 15 metres wide. Laura and Robert Barrette, parents of Sebastian, the missing 14 year-old Bakerview Learning Centre student, wait to see their son just moments after he was wheeled out of the forest just after 10 p.m. Thursday. Holeczek said it's likely the boy slipped into the creek and was swept across to the other side. The roar of the water would have muffled any cries for help.

CFV SAR searches Fraser River for Missng Teen (Jan 04 2010 - 15:00)

The following article is taken from the Hope Standard http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/hopestandard/news/80643527.html With little hope that a missing 18-year-old survived a fall from the Hope-Fraser Bridge into the freezing waters of the Fraser River, police are asking for the public’s help. "The family is very shocked at this time and are pleading with any users of the Fraser River to keep their eyes open in hopes of recovering Jordan's body," said Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop, media relations for the RCMP. After three days of searching the river by boat from Hope to the Pattulo Bridge volunteers have been stood down. Today RCMP continued the search by helicopter scouring the river for any sign of the young man. Jordan August is member of the Cowichan First Nation in Duncan B.C. but had been staying with his girlfriend’s family on the Chawathil First Nations in Hope B.C., reports Constable Lea-Anne Dunlop, media relations for the RCMP. Jordon August graduated from Hope Secondary School in 2009. August fell from the bridge at approximately 3 a.m., on New Year’s Day. The 18-year-old was walking with his girlfriend southbound from the Schkam Reserve, just north of the bridge. The couple was reportedly walking in the middle of the bridge at the north end when a truck approached. In their hast to get out of the way the couple went to separate sides of the bridge – and the young man disappeared over the edge. Hope Search and Rescue launched their jet boat searching the riverbank that night in the hopes that August, known to be a strong swimmer and canoeist, made it out of the water and that his footprints would be found along the riverbank. A Kent Harrison Search and Rescue team was also on the river searching for the young man by Sea Doo. A RCMP dog team also assisted in the all-night search. On Saturday, January 2, still holding out hope that the young man would turn up, his tearful father stood under the bridge embracing a police officer, as the RCMP dive team used sonar to map the bottom of the river. Their search was also unsuccessful. On Sunday, January 3, thirty-five Search and Rescue volunteers from Chilliwack, Central Fraser Valley, Kent-Harrison, Hope, Maple Ridge, searched the river from Hope to the Pattullo Bridge. Jordon August was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, white air walk runners, a white polo shirt and a beige fleece long sleeve sweater. August is described as 5'7 and 160 lbs with a slender athletic build, reports Dunlop.