Barrie Police are reminding anyone heading out on the water this summer that wearing a life jacket can mean the difference between life and death.
The warning comes after the Barrie Police Marine Unit charged eight stand-up paddle board users within a 90-minute period during Canada Day patrols for failing to wear personal flotation devices.
Police say every summer officers respond to incidents where people unexpectedly end up in the water due to changing weather, medical emergencies, equipment failures, waves from other boats, or simple slips and falls.
“You don’t get to choose when emergencies happen,” says Barrie Police Marine Unit Detective Constable Ron Hunt. “If you have to stop to find your life jacket after you’ve fallen into the water, you’ve already lost critical time. It’s called a life jacket for a reason. That’s intentional. It’s in the name.”
Common reasons for not wearing a life jacket (including discomfort, hot weather, short trips, swimming ability, or boating experience) do not reduce the risk of drowning in an emergency.
“If you think having your life jacket strapped to your stand-up paddle board will help you after you fall and hit your head, consider this: How good of a swimmer are you if you’re unconscious or unable to stay above water? A life jacket attached to your board can’t help you if you are no longer able to reach it. At that point, our mission changes from rescue to recovery,”adds Hunt.
Marine Unit officers will continue patrolling local waterways throughout the summer to ensure boaters have the required safety equipment. Officers stress the goal is not simply enforcement, but preventing tragedies before they happen.
Before heading out on the water, police encourage everyone to wear a properly fitted, approved life jacket or personal flotation device, check weather conditions, inspect safety equipment, let someone know their travel plans, carry a charged cell phone, and never operate a vessel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
