July 2010

Boating Safety

Wear A Personal Flotation Device!

Always wear a personal flotation device (PFD) or a life jacket when boating. Make sure it fits properly. A Canadian approved personal flotation device or life jacket can save your life. Bright coloured PFDs provide better visibility in the water. Be visible.

Stay With Your Boat!

Even in calm weather, boats can capsize or turn over. If the boat turns over, stay with the boat and try to climb onto the boat as high and out of the water as possible. It is easier for rescuers to see an overturned or capsized boat than a person alone in the water.

Be Polite, Don’t Pollute!

The waterways belong to all of us. We all have to help keep the water clean because clean water is safe water. Plastic, litter, oil, gas and human sewage cannot only ruin the beauty of boating waters, they can injure or kill aquatic life. Some ways to help keep the waterways clean include:

• Do not throw any litter overboard.
• Keep a trash bag or can on your boat, and use it.
• Pick up someone else’s litter.
• Use the washroom before you go out boating.