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“Everybody needs to have a life jacket.”
That was the message behind a drowning prevention clinic at Stop 26 Park in Windsor Sunday, where local authorities emphasized the importance of water safety.
The safety clinic, hosted by Windsor police in partnership with the Windsor and Essex County Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Coalition, follows a drowning on Lake St. Clair last week that claimed the life of a 16-year-old youth in Lakeshore.
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Organizers stressed the importance of rip currents, swimming with a buddy, maintaining constant supervision, raising awareness and preventing further tragedies in the community.
“Drownings happen every season,” said Dan Metcalfe, the emergency management co-ordinator for the County of Essex. “You get folks who don’t pay attention to the signs or watch the warnings.
“If you’re not a good swimmer and you’re out in the water that you’re not familiar with, you put yourself in a lot of risk.”
Last week’s drowning follows several others this summer.
In May, two men drowned in the water just west of Sand Point Beach in Windsor. The pair entered the water “and walked right off the shelf” into the 30-foot-deep shipping channel.
Also in May, a Michigan man drowned in Lake St. Clair.
More recently, a swimmer disappeared off the Lake Erie shoreline in Leamington.
“We try to encourage parents to think about swimming lessons,” said Metcalfe. “It’s important for kids to learn about the water and understand the currents they may be up against.”
Despite Sand Point Beach being closed for the long weekend due to unsafe swimming conditions, Metcalfe said a lot of residents still learned about lifejacket fitting, knot tying, marine safety equipment and reporting a marine emergency.
“Everybody on a boat needs to have a lifejacket that is properly fitted.”
Members of the Windsor Police Marine Unit, Canadian Naval Reserves, and the Canadian Border Services Marine Unit, also visited Lakeview Marina on Sunday for a free boat inspection and safety clinic.
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