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PREVENTION

North American Safe Boating Awareness Week

Al Will, CSBC Chair, is being interviewed by the media at the Toronto event. Photo Credit: CSBC

Ian Gilson – Canadian Safe Boating Council

The tide in the number of recreational boating drownings turned many years ago and it continues to decline. Based on the most recent reports from the Lifesaving Society, these incidents are down 30 percent from 10 years ago; this in spite of the fact that there continues to be more and more boaters on Canada’s waterways. There are many reasons for this consistent decline in drownings, and one that has certainly had a positive impact is Safe Boating Awareness Week, which was held this year from May 17^th to the 23^rd.

Safe Boating Awareness Week is a partnership between the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC), professional and volunteer safety groups, associations and individuals across the country. The CSBC, a non-profit organization, joins forces with their members: the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, the Canadian Coast Guard and Auxiliary, the Lifesaving Society and numerous federal, provincial and municipal police forces, to name just a few, for this important annual initiative. The initiative’s singular goal is to ensure that the millions of Canadians who enjoy activities on Canada’s waterways do so safely.

This is not just a Canadian phenomenon; the Canadian Safe Boating Week also joins forces with the U.S. National Safe Boating week, operated by the National Safe Boating Council to make this a truly North American event. This is particularly important along the border where media spill works to the joint advantage of both countries.

The 2008 revamped North American Safe Boating Awareness Week Campaign focused on five key messages:

1. Wear Your Life jacket
2. Don’t Drink & Boat
3. Take a Boating Course
4. Be Prepared – Both You & Your Vessel
5. Be Aware of Cold Water Risks

Each of these messages was elaborated through numerous reallife stories, audio and video clips portraying the sometimes humorous, but more often tragic consequences of disregarding these practices. These were placed on the CSBC Web site www.csbc.ca for free access.

Each year, the primary mechanism for dissemination of these messages to the boating public is through the television, radio and print media, which the CSBC engages on two fronts:

1. Major media (network television, metropolitan radio stations and daily circulation newspapers) contact is coordinated through a professional media relations firm (Simic Public Relations).
   
   
2. Local media (community television, smaller radio stations and weekly circulation newspapers) are approached by a wealth of dedicated campaign volunteers.

Volunteer organizations, profit and non-profit alike, across Canada are key to the overall success of the campaign. They bring a passion for boating safety and are often uniquely positioned, not only to bring the messaging to their local media, but also to disseminate the messaging directly to the general public both on and off the water. In 2008, the volunteer ranks approached 200 individuals nationally.

In addition to direct media contact, volunteer organizations hosted numerous events across Canada as a means of spreading the boating safety messaging. As an example, in Ontario, the Toronto Police Marine Unit hosted a media kick-off event to discuss the need for boaters to employ safe and responsible behaviours on the water throughout the season. Several aerial and marine search and rescue (SAR) resources from the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and Police units were on hand to demonstrate the SAR capabilities that exist on the western end of Lake Ontario.

The “Don’t Rock the Boat” event was held at the Collins Bay Marina. Photo Credit: CSBC

The Collins Bay Marina and its community partners in the Kingston area hosted a “Don’t Rock the Boat” safety event for boating families with prizes and fun for all. Many chandleries and other marine retail outlets hosted events with demonstrations of safety equipment and seminars on the proper selection and fitting of personal flotation devices.

Preliminary results for 2008, as provided through a media monitoring service, suggest that 54,283,244 people in Canada received the campaign messaging. This is a 26 percent increase over the 43,005,799 people who were reached in 2007, and a testament to the efforts of all those who participated in the campaign.

While the name “Safe Boating Awareness Week” tends to suggest a finite timeframe of activity, continuing with that same fervour throughout the entire boating season is key to encouraging safe boating practices, both through the continued use of the materials that are available on the CSBC Web site, and by example, through our own behaviours on the water.

We would like to thank members of the search and rescue community who have supported us thus far for their invaluable assistance. We urge and welcome others to become involved in the campaign, both for the remainder of this year and in 2009. Those wishing to participate should contact Ian Gilson, Manager, SBAW Volunteer Outreach at sbaw@csbc.ca.

The CSBC would like to extend its wish that everyone have a safe and enjoyable season on the water.

Ian Gilson is a long-term recreational boater and member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary serving with TOWARF in Oakville, Ontario. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Safe Boating Council and a passionate advocate for boating safety.

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