NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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TOWNSHIP OF GUELPH/ERAMOSA - On Apr. 17, 2017 at approximately 2:30 p.m., members of the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a report of an overturned canoe on Guelph Lake.
Police were called by a passerby who had noticed two males in the lake screaming for help and flailing their arms. Police attended along with Guelph Fire Department and Guelph-Wellington Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
The males who were both wearing Personal Flotation Devices (PFD) were able to swim to shore. They were both transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment of mild hypothermia.
The OPP would like to remind the public to be cautious of open water at this time of year as there is the risk of hypothermia should you be exposed. Hypothermia begins to set in at 35.5 degrees Celcius.
Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and obvious exhaustion which may result in cardiac or respiratory arrest.
It is also extremely important to remember the importance of wearing a PFD (or life jacket) when operating a boat. A Canadian approved standard life jacket, when worn properly is designed to turn an unconscious person from face down to face up in the water, allowing them to breath.
A Canadian approved PFD is designed to keep you afloat in the water and are designed for use in recreational boating. They are generally smaller, less bulky and more comfortable than life jackets.
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