Learning to love my lifejacket

Guest post by Kristy Harcourt

National Lifejacket Day – did you even know there was such a thing? Just before the May long weekend every year, the Canadian Red Cross works to raise awareness about the importance of wearing lifejackets. Each year, my colleagues and I wear lifejackets to work for the day to prompt conversations about drowning prevention. But being wide and busty, the ones I used to wear sat too high and barely closed.


Until recently, the truth is I hated lifejackets. I grew up near a lake, am a decent swimmer, love to canoe and be on the water but often felt like a poorly made sausage in whatever lifejacket I could find to fit my plus-size body. There were times when I chose not to go boating because I felt self-conscious about not having a PFD (personal flotation device) that fit me well.

Last year, it suddenly dawned on me that lifejackets are not only found in dusty sheds and soggy boats. Stores sell them! I went to Canadian Tire and Mountain Equipment Co-op. At MEC, I found a great style in several colours. The gold colour I chose is quite visible. It has nice pockets and is very comfortable for paddling. These days, many other companies sell similar designs.
 

Before: Orange is just not my colour!

Adults often insist that children wear lifejackets but decline to wear them, too. I think the reasons vary.  Some of us feel silly in them. Others might find a poorly fitting PFD uncomfortable. I want to use this post to remind fellow grownups that if you have a collision in a boat, you may not have time or the ability (think collision plus head injury) to locate and put on your PFD. On average, there are 166 boating-related fatalities each year in Canada. In 24 per cent of those deaths, lifejackets are present on board but not worn.


So, happy National Lifejacket Day! It would be great if you also wanted to share fun photos of yourself, friends and family wearing lifejackets. We’re using hashtag #lifejacketliving on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Show us those old styles (for Throwback Thursday #TBT) and new ones, too. And have a great long weekend. But be safe. Take care of yourselves. For more information, including the lifejacket’s history, check out: http://canadian.redcross.ca/lifejackets/

Kristy Harcourt is an Alberta training coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross