City Offers River Safety Tips

Rain over the weekend coupled with recent incidents along the requiring an emergency response from the and its Water Rescue Team have the warning residents to stay safe on the river.

“Residents are advised to talk with their families and children about water safety in a variety of situations and remind them to stay away from the DuPage River when its water levels are high,” the city said in a news release.

Although people may think they are good swimmers, boaters or kayakers, when rain increases the river to dangerous levels, it is best to stay out, the city’s news release said. Just because the river appears calm doesn’t mean the current below the surface isn’t swift.

The city of Naperville offers these safety tips:

• Do not underestimate the power of an unseen current. 
• If you are caught in a current and are being swept away, roll over on your back and go downstream feet first to avoid hitting your head. 
• When you are out of the strongest part of the current, swim straight toward shore. 
• Don’t try to swim against a current if caught in one. 
• Swim gradually out of the current by swimming across it. 

Even if a person is just enjoying the river from its bank, the water can be dangerous. River levels can change drastically, depending on rainfall, making passage and maneuverability in the water more difficult. If participating in water activities, a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD) should always be worn.

Illinois law states that all children under the age of 13 must wear a PFD on vessels shorter than 26 feet in length. Below are tips in mind when fitting yourself or your child in a life jacket:

• Life jackets are not like clothes. You don’t grow into them. 
• Life jackets should be Coast Guard approved and the correct size for your weight.
• Life jackets should fit snugly. The shoulders of the jacket should not come up above the nose or ears when pulled up or it will not stay on in the water.
• If your child’s weight exceeds available children’s sizes, you must purchase an adult-sized life jacket for them.
• Remember, children don’t float but life jackets do.

Other tips to remember:

Make note of the dangerous “toos” before engaging in summer water activities. These include being too tired, too cold, too far from safety, having too much sun, too much to drink and participating in too much strenuous activity. 

How to escape an hydraulic:

A hydraulic is a strong force created by water flowing downward over an object, then reversing its flow. The reverse flow of the water can trap and hold a person underwater. If you are caught in a hydraulic, do not fight it — swim to the bottom and then swim out with the current to reach the surface.