Pierce County Executive, Bruce Dammeier announcement.
At the start of a recent meeting, each participant was asked “What is one of your favorite summer activities?” I told the group one of my favorites is hearing my granddaughters squeal with delight when riding on a tube being pulled behind our boat! Even at their young age, they enjoy the bouncing and thrill of going fast – well, not too fast. However, their dad knows what could happen. He is on the tube with them – and everyone is wearing life jackets. So, they get the thrill, and he keeps them safe.
Our waters are one of the things that make our home so special. And enjoying them on a paddle board, in a kayak, on a tube, or in a boat is the best part of the summer for many of us.
Even when it’s hot outside, our local waters stay very cold. So cold, in fact, that swimmers in our lakes and the Sound can suffer from what’s known as “cold water shock.” That is, your body reacts badly to the sudden temperature change. Swimmers can quickly lose their ability to swim or even breathe.
Sadly, we lose people to drownings nearly every summer as they jump in the water to have fun and “beat the heat” – 34 have died in the last five years. To help prevent this, Pierce County Parks partnered with jurisdictions from around the region to produce a social media campaign to warn our residents of the dangers of cold-water shock. Our goal is zero drownings!
To learn more about how you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe while you are near the water, check out the tips here.
Anyone growing up in Pierce County knows that summer really starts on the 5th of July. So, I hope you and your friends and family get the chance to enjoy our summer – in the mountains, at the beach, and on the water.
Thanks for reading.
The state patrol had a saying called the 50/50 rule, that a decent swimmer had a 50% chance of swimming 50ft in 50 degree water. Not good odds.
At the start of summer it’s especially dangerous and people generally don’t realize how easy it is to drown. Especially in cold water you will reflexively gasp, and once you gasp any water, you’re drowning.
Drowning is not “peaceful “ like in the movies, if you’ve ever had a drop of water go “down the wrong tube” and you’ve felt the overwhelming urge to gag it out just imagine water pouring into your lungs, tearing them apart in absolute agony, when you’re convulsing, sinking deeper, knowing full well your absolutely going to die, and depending on how much oxygen you had in your blood it will take up to 5 minutes to pass out and die, in unbelievable agony , and despair, the entire time.
I learned this in lifeguard class in high school, it’s always made me be careful, I’ve always thought they should teach all kids this horrible information before school lets out and I’m certain it would make people be more careful. Especially since muscles you use swimming are only used swimming, which you haven’t done since last summer, so the swimmer you were last year, is not the swimmer you are this year.
Please be careful. If this hideous true description of drowning saves one person, then it’s worth it.
Life is a unbelievable gift, live every day to it’s fullest.