Midway through August many families will be looking to spend as much time away at lakes or pools for the remainder of the summer. This brings an important reminder that life jacket safety is extremely important, especially for children who are around water or in a boat.

Each year around 500 Canadians drown while boating and many accidents can be preventable as a large percentage are not wearing a life jacket. Life jackets, when worn properly, are designed to turn an unconscious person from face down to face up in the water, allowing them to breathe.

A Canadian approved Personal Floatation Device, PFD, is designed to keep you afloat in the water. PFDs were designed for recreational use -they are less bulky and more comfortable than life jackets. They have less flotation than a life jacket and limited turning capacity, but come in a variety of styles and colours.

  • When purchasing a life jacket for children or adults the following tips should be taken under advisement:
  • Providing a life jacket with a padded head support and grab strap will help keep from you child from floating away.
  • Purchase a life jacket based on the child's weight range.
  • Make sure there is a strap from the lower bottom of the life jacket to clip to the bottom of the front of the life jacket so the life jacket does not ride up.
  • It is important to look for straps and buckles that go around the torso. The device should fit tight enough that it won't be able to slide over your head, but loose enough to be comfortable. As well as heavy duty straps and buckles, a rust proof zipper and larger collar for head support, is essential.