“This Means You, Too” Added to the Get it On Campaign
Get it On! by wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs) while boating.
Photo courtesy TBDHU
With 26 boat-related drownings reported in Ontario last year, and all cases males, young anglers came out today to encourage their parents – especially dads – to
Gord Ellis, Get it On! campaign spokesperson, joined the youth in sending the messages out to parents that “this means you, too!” at a kick-off event held at Boulevard. “After having my own kids, I couldn’t justify telling them to wear a PFD if I wasn’t wearing one myself,” says Gord Ellis. “Wearing a PFD is insurance that you will have many fishing seasons to come, even if you do fall out of the boat.”
The OPP Provincial Marine Vessel fatalities statistics indicate that all boating-related fatalities in 2010 were males and the majority of these men drowned by falling out of their boats on a clear day. Many of the drownings (75%) could have been prevented if the men were wearing PFDs.
“Wearing a PFD is the number one thing any boater can do to stay safe on the water,” says Ross Johnson, Acting Enforcement Manager with the Ministry of Natural Resources. “Adults are doing the right things by putting PFDs on their kids, but they need to set an example by wearing the PFDs themselves.”
“It’s simply not enough to have a PFD in the boat,” says Judi Marton, Public Health Nurse. “Boaters need to be wearing the PFD because once a person falls into the water it’s extremely difficult to get back in the boat and drowning can occur in less than a minute.”
Besides wearing a PFD, boaters are reminded to stay safe by also avoiding alcohol, taking a safe boat operation course and ensuring their vessel is in good running order.
The Get it On! campaign is presented by the SAVE (Snowmobile ATV Vessel Education) Committee and will be promoting the use of PFDs through posters, information cards, billboards and advertisements. The TBDHU, Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Provincial Police, are some of the members of SAVE.
