Today marks the start of Drowning Prevention Week. 
To help keep safety top of mind, CK Recreation is hosting a number of courses and open swims at the indoor pools in Wallaceburg and Blenheim, as well as the municipality’s seven outdoor pools.
The events will cover water safety tips, boat safety, basic swimming skills to survive unexpected falls into deep water, and how to use a variety of different rescue aids.
Scheduled activities:
Lifejacket Fitting – Learn to fit a lifejacket properly, how to recover from unintentional falls into water, and the HELP/Huddle rescue to stay safe in cold water.
Hit the Target Rescue Drills – Practice throwing rescue aids such as flutter boards and buoy lines to help victims in distress.
Swim to Survive – Learn basic skills that will help survive an unexpected fall into deep water. Participants will roll into deep water, tread water, and swim 50 metres.
For more information and a complete schedule of games and activities, visit www.chatham-kent.ca/recreation.
As many as 500 Canadians die in preventable water-related deaths each year.