‘Be prepared’: Saskatoon Fire reminds residents about water safety during heatwave

The Saskatoon Fire Department reminded Saskatchewan residents that h2o information should ever beryllium apical of mind arsenic group effort to hit nan power this week, enjoying lakes and rivers astir nan province.

“Be prepared,” Saskatoon Fire Department lawman main Rob Hogan said. “Have a life jacket, h2o and your cellphone successful a protective case. Tell personification wherever you are going.”

He besides reminded residents to support an oculus connected fast-changing weather.

Hogan said nan South Saskatchewan stream moving done Saskatoon is higher now than complete nan past fewer weeks.

“It’s important erstwhile you are connected nan stream that you understand nan dynamics of what is going on, nan current, nan flow, nan bottommost mightiness not beryllium nan aforesaid from time to day,” he said.

According to Saskatchewan RCMP, location person been 3 drowning deaths successful nan state complete nan past week successful Peter Pond Lake, Lake Diefenbaker and Helene Lake.

The deaths were not related, 1 involving a boater, 1 a paddleboarder and nan different a canoer.

Hogan said if personification were to travel crossed personification who has drowned, they should telephone 911 and effort to thief first responders.

Trending Now

“Stay arsenic adjacent to nan segment to wherever nan personification drowned,” he said. “Try to cognize wherever nan personification was erstwhile you saw them drown. It’s important to cod arsenic overmuch accusation and walk it connected to nan first responders and firefighters erstwhile we get there.”

Joan Steckhan, proprietor of nan Prairie Lily asked anyone connected nan stream successful Saskatoon to beryllium alert of nan riverboat arsenic it cruises down nan water.

“She’s 107 tonnes and she doesn’t stop,” Steckhan said, adding they will rustle nan horn if personification is successful nan boats path.

She besides reminded different boaters to beryllium alert of nan sandbars and shallow areas that mightiness popular up unexpectedly.

“Last week we saw a vessel and they went conscionable ripping down nan stream and past it took them astir 2 hours to push nan vessel backmost to nan vessel motorboat aft they astir apt done thing that damaged their motor because it’s truthful shallow. If you don’t cognize wherever nan transmission is, you are going to deed something.”