The District of Squamish is calling on BC Parks to strengthen water safety measures at provincial parks and recreation areas in the Sea to Sky Corridor following the deaths of two young adults at Browning Lake this summer.
In a letter to BC Parks, the District says the deaths are a “heartbreaking reminder” of the need for continued attention to drowning prevention and asks the provincial agency to consider rescue equipment, improved signage, life-jacket loan programs and increased public education.
“The deaths of two young adults at Browning Lake this summer is a heartbreaking reminder that water safety awareness and drowning prevention requires ongoing attention from all of us,” the District says in the letter.
“While no single measure can eliminate risk, communities across Canada have demonstrated that education, accessible safety equipment, clear signage, and swimming instruction can save lives.”
The District is specifically asking BC Parks to consider installing rescue tubes, rescue buoys, or life-ring stations at popular swimming and waterfront locations. It is also seeking enhanced signage identifying hazards, water conditions and life-jacket requirements, along with life-jacket loaner programs and public awareness campaigns focused on drowning prevention.
The District says preventing drownings requires cooperation between governments, residents, schools, recreation providers, community organizations and public safety agencies.
“By working together and investing in proven prevention strategies today, we can honour those who have been lost and help protect others in the future,” the letter says.
Residents pushed for broader water-safety strategy
The District’s letter follows a detailed appeal from four residents — Zeia Weafer, Zoe Prescott, Ella Henriques and Auni Weafer — who wrote to Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford on July 13 asking council to develop a comprehensive water-safety strategy for Browning Lake, Alice Lake and other popular swimming and paddling locations in the Sea to Sky.
The residents pointed to public rescue-tube stations as one potentially lifesaving measure. Their letter cited a program established in Hawaii following drowning tragedies that has since expanded to hundreds of locations.
Such stations provide flotation devices that can be thrown to someone in distress, allowing a bystander to assist without entering the water and potentially becoming another victim.
The four residents proposed a much broader suite of measures, including life-jacket loan stations, more prominent hazard signage, swimming and water-survival lessons, public education campaigns and stronger messaging about personal flotation-device requirements.
They also suggested using Brennan Park for swimming lessons during school hours and making life jackets available through the Squamish Adventure Centre, potentially through a refundable-deposit system.
Another proposal calls for signs at lakes to identify previous drownings or note when a recent drowning has occurred, while other signage could warn about cold water, sudden drop-offs, changing conditions and the dangers of swimming alone.
The residents also called for partnerships involving the Lifesaving Society of BC & Yukon, BC Emergency Health Services, local fire departments, Search and Rescue groups, businesses, service clubs and other community organizations.
‘So much could have been done’
In their letter, the residents expressed frustration about what they viewed as a lack of visible safety improvements following the Browning Lake deaths.
“It seemed that not one sign about water safety went up and not one improvement or preventative measure was initiated in response to these drownings,” they wrote.
They argued the tragedy highlighted several opportunities for prevention, from swimming education and life-jacket awareness to teaching bystanders how to recognize a person struggling in the water and providing readily accessible rescue equipment.
“So much could have been done to prevent these unnecessary deaths,” the residents wrote.
The group urged Squamish council to direct staff to examine the feasibility of rescue-tube stations, life-jacket loan programs, enhanced signage, public education and partnerships with provincial and community organizations.
The District has now taken the issue to BC Parks, asking the provincial agency to review opportunities for stronger water-safety measures within parks and recreation areas throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor.
