After the tragic surfing-related death on Tofino beach, there is increasing pressure to keep visitors safe.
Ann Wittenberg drowned at Long Beach; a Parks Canada operated site well-known among surfers in just a few hours before she was going to walk her daughter down the aisle for her wedding.
Need for additional security
The 52-year old might have slid off her board and dropped into the water. She was unconscious when bystanders dragged her out and executed CPR.
This was the second surfing fatality in the same year at Long Beach. There are no lifeguards on Long Beach since 2012 when a long-standing program called Surf Guard has closed.
According to Parks Canada, it cannot maintain the Surf Guard program and shifted to signage and education to keep visitors safe. With two reported deaths at the beach, some say that it is not enough.
According to Heather Durnham, a surfer who was in the water when Wittenberg died, deaths will continue if there is no protection for these people and no further education on the risks involved.
Important of first aid and CPR
In such scenarios, having knowledge and skills on basic first aid can greatly help. Whether you are a lifeguard or bystander, what matters the most is to help. By enrolling in first aid and CPR course, it provides you an advantage and can even help save a life.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help those in need by enrolling in a first aid course and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-cpr-treatment
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/first-aid-basics-and-drsabcd