With more than 100,000 bodies of water across the province, the Saskatchewan RCMP is reminding drivers and passengers to be prepared in the event their vehicle becomes submerged.
“Drivers and passengers are at significant risk when a vehicle enters the water. Water can pour in through windows and doors, causing entrapment, and the situation can quickly become life-threatening,” said Cpl. Jamie Diemert, coordinator of the RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Team (URT). “Knowing and practicing an escape plan with your family can prepare you for this kind of emergency.”
The URT is promoting a simple life-saving acronym: SWOC
Seatbelts off
Windows open
Out immediately
Children first
The system was developed by Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, a cold water and drowning physiologist from the University of Manitoba, and Saskatchewan RCMP divers trained in vehicle immersion scenarios this past summer.
“No one ever plans for an accident, but we know they happen. Our police divers have responded to calls with vehicles in dugouts, sloughs, rivers, and even lakes,” Diemert said.
Since May, the URT has responded to three submerged vehicle incidents in Saskatchewan, with no drownings reported.
RCMP advises anyone in a vehicle that suddenly enters water to follow the SWOC steps and call 911 once safely out of the vehicle.