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Would you climb a cliff in a snowstorm if you had no climbing skills?
PLEASE PEOPLE! Public safety on rivers
Would you climb a cliff in a snowstorm if you had no climbing skills, no ropes, no safety backup, and hadn’t told anyone where you were? No? Then why jump onto a flooding river in a tiny canoe to have fun – or worse – set off onwards rescue mission?
Unfortunately we’re seeing instances of this kind of behaviour on the Vaal and Orange rivers right now as these usually mild waterways become raging monsters after heavy rains throughout South Africa. People who have never had any training in river safety or how to paddle seem to think the time to go on the water is when it’s roaring.
A bakkie passed me in my hometown, Parys, over the weekend with several tractor tyres stacked in the back and two or three happy guys brandishing beercans as they headed for the river. The fact that the flow has been averaging 750cubic metres a second (that’s 15 to 20 times the normal summer flow of around 20-50 cunecs) didn’t phase them. They had no clue.
The Vaal at high water is full of strainers – trees in the strong currents – any one of which can trap paddlers and drown them. People who tackle rivers in this state without knowing anything about the dangers they face are known as Strainer Bait.
I don’t know what happened to those happy chappies – perhaps sheer luck kept them out of harm’s way and they’ll do it again – but I do know that recklessness, alcohol, drugs and flooded rivers go together. And it all imposes a severe strain on emergency services like the NSRI and river rescue teams.
Public education would go a long way to save Ives by preventing accidents before they can happen.
Here are some tips if you must get out there – for instance to save livestock, the family dog, or chicks in their nests threatened by rising currents. There are many expert trainers who can help you get prepared.
1. JUST DON’T DO IT if you have no training in river safety. Get help from those who do.
2. COMPETENT PADDLERS will wear lifejackets with whistles, take cellphones in waterproofing, a map with safe exit points, water to drink and emergency food, a torch, and the right kind of craft for wild water.
3. NEVER GO ALONE, be able to “read the river” and manoeuvre in rapids, have rescue training, be properly equipped tell someone where you are going, and ask the question What If?
WHAT IF?
That’s the most important question in all risky outdoor activities. What if the best laid plans go wrong? What if equipment fails? What if even a top paddler makes a mistake? What if the weather turns really bad?
What if? …makes you think about what you would do if things did not go according to plan. You need to be prepared for the moment when things go wrong.
WHAT IF is not an academic question or one that only an instructor in rafting should ask. It should be asked by each and every person on the river. If the question can’t be answered with a safety plan don’t go there.
Chat to your team to make this point and insist that you have safety procedures in place to save your own lives and prevent disaster.
Think about how important it is to be safety conscious at all times and be ready to deal with emergencies. Almost everything I’ve said above comes down to basic information and communication. Get the know-how. It may help you to survive..
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