Children learn multiple skills, such as pulling a buddy out of the water onto a vessel, as seen above, during a water safety class put on by Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue held Tuesday, July 9 at Monroe’s Lake Tye.
Photo courtesy Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (Peter Mongillo photographer)
MONROE — When the sun is out and temperatures are high, more people tend to gather near waterways. Being safe is a high priority.
Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (SRFR) put on a free water safety day camp twice a year for children 6-12 to learn the dos and don’ts of playing in or near water. The first was on July 9 at Lake Tye Park in Monroe and the other on July 17 at Lundeen Park in Lake Stevens.
“We put on the camp because we have so many waterways nearby and there have been multiple drownings already this summer,” Kaitlin King, a Public Information and Education Officer for SRFR, said. “Things also cost money so kids might not have the chance to use kayaks and other water equipment otherwise.”
As the children began to arrive, they would sign-in at the main tent, receive their name tag, be given a life jacket if needed and split into small groups of four to five.
Partnering with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department along with Monroe and Lake Stevens Police Departments, they aided SRFR’s Water Rescue team in teaching the children at four different stations: Paddling Safety, Life Jackets, Situational Awareness and Shore Hazards. Each group worked with two to three instructors for 35 minutes and then rotated to the next station.
“We teach them to deal with real situations and get some confidence around the water,” Rande Gruenwald, a probationary firefighter, said.
Paddling Safety covered the basics of navigating a kayak and each child would practice how to properly climb back onto the kayak if they fell off.
Life Jackets explained the importance of wearing a life jacket, picking one that fits, practicing floating and pulling a buddy out of the water and onto a vessel by their life jacket.
Situational Awareness taught the children how to identify different types of hazards that can occur in different types of waterways and techniques for throwing a recovery line to someone in trouble.
Shore Hazards had the children use plastic grabbing claws to pick up different hazards like glass and trash that could be found on a beach or shore line. The group then went out onto the lake on an inflatable raft and practiced identifying hazards that could be found in the water.
Every child was enthusiastic to learn from the instructors, paying close attention to what was being taught and saving the horseplay until after the lessons were finished.
“(I learned) that if you’re in danger you can blow a whistle” seven-year-old camper Kamren Smith said.
Taking a break around noon to stop and eat lunch, the children gathered under the covered seating area near the shoreline. Lunch was provided by the fire department: a sandwich from Jersey Mike’s, chips, granola bars, Capri Suns, fresh fruit and water for each child enrolled in the camp.
After every group had visited each station, the remaining time was spent having fun with the kayaks, paddleboards and rafts supplied by SRFR for the children to use. At the end, the children received certificates of completion, took a group picture and were given a dry bag — a bag designed to stay dry out on the water, filled with a pair of goggles, whistle, towel, sunscreen and safety info activity books.
“No matter where you are (in water), you need to keep a life jacket on,” Brooklyn Swearengin, a seven-year-old camper said was the most important lesson taught at the Water Safety Camp.
For those looking to pre-register for next year’s free day camps, sign-ups begin April 2025. Visit www.SRFR.org to find out more.
