SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Fire Department is reminding the public to be careful when engaging in water-related activities at the South Saskatchewan River as the weather becomes hotter this summer.
SFD Deputy Chief Rob Hogan, speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon at the River Landing near the Sidney L. Buckwood Bridge, said they wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy the summer with various activities at the river but everyone must practice caution.
“Hot weather, like we have right now, makes people look for fun ways to cool off and get out on the river. There are many things that we can do safely, but there are some that folks shouldn’t do because it puts them and others at great risk. We do ask individuals to use their own common sense and play to their strengths when in the river,” said Hogan.
“Obviously, the river is a dangerous place for everybody depending on their level of experience and ability. There’s a lot of people that use kayaks, canoes and boats on the river and we encourage them to [be safe]. Obviously, we asked them to follow the rules like anybody that is in the water wear life jackets and refraining from drinking alcohol, things like that.”
Hogan spoke to members of the media Tuesday afternoon, July 19, after the SFD’s water rescue unit assisted in two separate incidents over the weekend at Poplar Bluffs Conservation Area, a nature preserve 18 kilometres south of the city.
“The most recent ones [water rescue] we had [on Saturday and Sunday] was sort of a warning. We do have agreements with municipalities [near the city] and we do charge them for our responses,” said Hogan.
“We’re up by over 10 per cent in call volume, probably two or three weeks ahead of calls during this time last year. It is important to realize that we’re stretched and if we do have to go out to the city, it is depending on our resources.”
The SFD goes as far as Clarkboro Ferry to the north and near the border of Whitecap First Nation to the south, like in Poplar Bluffs. Their response times are also based on the activity that’s happening in the city.
“If the city is really busy, our response will be delayed. The first call that we got on [Saturday] night, I think it was about an hour until they found the individual. The second call was a little quicker because the RCMP had already found [the persons]. We just had to get them off the sandbar,” said Hogan.
“It’s all dependent on what’s the river like, where we can launch, do we have to still find them. Things like that. So, it could be an hour, or it could be hours. It very much depends on what’s going on.”
They also advise any individual that may end up in distress while in the river to stay calm, try to keep their head above the water, remove any bulky or heavy clothes and don’t fight the current and go with the flow as they attempt to go to the riverbank. Observers should also try to coach the person in distress from the riverbank or the edge of the shore.
Any person who might witness someone in distress in the river should immediately call 911 to report the incident while giving the details of the individual, the time and situation and inform of any easily recognizable landmarks where the individual was seen.
