Crime & Safety

King County Urges Water Safety Over Memorial Day Holiday

The following is a safety message from Eastside Fire & Rescue

Drownings are preventable tragedies, warn public health officials,  and an important public health and safety issue, especially in the run-up to the Memorial Day Holiday.

King County rivers, fed by melting snowpack, are extremely cold, fast-moving and dangerous. If you do go on or in rivers, wearing a lifejacket is always recommended. There are safer options for swimming, like local lifeguarded beaches and pools. Raft the rivers with a professional company that knows the river and how to be safe.

In any open water, the best ways to prevent drownings are:

  • Know the water – Washington waters are cold enough to cause cold water shock even on the hottest summer day; cold water shock can weaken even the strongest swimmer.
  • Know your limits – drowning often happens when a person tires while swimming or when novice swimmers try to keep up with more experienced ones.
  • Wear a life jacket – when swimming in areas without lifeguards or whenever you boat, jet-ski, or do other water sports. By law, children 12 years old and younger must wear a US Coast Guard approved life jacket at all times when underway in a vessel less than 19 feet in length, unless in a fully enclosed area.
  • Avoid drinking alcohol or using other substances when swimming, boating, or doing other water-oriented sports. Drinking alcohol is a major risk factor for drowning. As blood alcohol levels increase, so does the likelihood of drowning. Alcohol affects balance, coordination, and judgment. Exposure to sun and heat amplify these effects.
  • Closely watch children and keep them within immediate reach when you are near any type of water. 

Quick statistics
KING COUNTY
In 2012, Public Health – Seattle & King County found that 24 people died in preventable drowning incidents. Of these, 63% (15) took place in open water, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, or Puget Sound. Six drowning deaths occurred in August, the highest of any other month in 2012. Overall, the greatest percentage of drowning deaths, 46% (11 out of 24 deaths), took place during June, July, and August. Almost half of open water drowning deaths (7 of 15) in 2012 involved alcohol and/or drugs. King County 2012 drowning statistics are preliminary and will be made final later in the summer.
 
WASHINGTON STATE     
There were 93 unintentional drowning deaths in Washington in 2011, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s Center for Health Statistics.  There were at least 103 unintentional drowning deaths in Washington in 2012, according to preliminary counts as reported by media. Forty of these Washington state drownings occurred in rivers, and at least half may have been preventable if the person had been wearing a lifejacket.


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