Water Safety First

Last Sunday I completed the 3km Cultus Lake “Across the Lake” open water swim. There were only 48 participants registered in the 3km event, with a few more in the 1.5km and 750 metre events. It was my first time doing this event. The conditions were great! The water was fairly calm, and not cold at all with my wetsuit. Some people did the swim without a wetsuit.

I almost didn’t go due to a severe lack of sleep the night before (up all night with a sick kid), and I was also recovering from a severe asthma attack that I had the previous week…BUT I dragged myself to the water and I’m glad I did.

Thank you to everyone who donated thier PFDs to the Cultus Lake Fire Department. They are hoping to build a PFD/lifejacket borrow/return station. I was able to donate 4 from our family and two from community donations. They were very appreciative!

Giveaway time!! I thought in celebration of back to school tomorrow, we’d have a little fun and guess how many Oreos are in the jar. 😎
The closest guess without going over wins one 35 minute lesson with Coach Jessica, AND the jar of Oreos!! Think of how many days you could send your kid to school with an Oreo in their lunch kit. 😂🤪🤓
Must be redeemed before 2027. Maximum 1 guess per family.
Tag friends for an extra guess.
Contest closes Sunday September 13 at 9pm!

*these are original Oreos with a few Birthday Oreos in the mix.

Please welcome me in congratulating Elianna Gerbrandt on being awarded EMPLOYEE OF THE SEASON! 🤗🥳
She taught a total of 599 sessions between June 26 and today.
She arrived early (at least 15 minutes every shift) to every shift. She was always prepared with her lesson plans and report cards. She was incredibly loyal to her schedule and never once called in sick!
She is the most diligent note taker and exceptional communicator I’ve ever encountered. She really stepped into her supervisory role this summer and took the initiative to solve problems on her own.
If you have been lucky enough to work with her, over the years, you know how much she has grown and what her value is.
I’m so proud of you Coach Elli! Thank you for choosing us and bringing your light and energy to work- every 👏🏼 single 👏🏼shift👏🏼!
The girls and I hope you enjoy your chocolates and gift card. 🤗
I wish you a smooth back to University week. We will see you September 14 for your first after school shift of the new season.


Elianna Gerbrandt Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon

We all wish we could clone Coach Elli so she could offer endless lessons for us, but unfortunately we can’t.
Tomorrow is her last full day of the summer and those of you who have had the pleasure of working with her, know how lucky you are.
Her Monday after school sessions in September are currently sold out.
A LOT of people have asked when she’s opening up more lessons. We want to ensure she has a smooth transition back to school and get settled before committing to the entire Fall season. For that reason, she will be releasing her October sessions on September 18 at 7am. (Please don’t roll your eyes at me- there’s never a “perfect” time to open lessons 😜).
November sessions will be released mid October.
December sessions will be released mid November.

You’re welcome to put your name on the waitlist too. You can add your name up to two weeks in advance.



Elianna Gerbrandt

Hi! 👋🏻
Don’t forget to wear your PFD or lifejacket on the water this weekend! You’ll be thankful you did when you unexpectedly enter the water and have other lives to save, aside from yours!

Did you know that PFDs are NOT designed to roll a person onto their back? We are all wearing PFDs in these pictures. You have to know how to maneuver your body while wearing one. It’s possible for a person to be stuck face down in the water, while wearing one of these.

This is something we teach at Water Safety First!

Drowning is preventable! Learn to swim. Wear a lifejacket or PFD while boating. They aren’t just for the kids or non swimmers. Everyone should be wearing one! Buckle up!

Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon

41 preventable deaths by drowning have occurred this year in BC and the Yukon.

%78 of them were male.

We aren’t out of the highest risk season yet! %67 of drownings take place between May and September.

At Water Safety First, we talk to our clients about how to stay safe in the water. Every 👏🏼 single 👏🏼 lesson👏🏼

It sounds like this-
“Stop. Look at the bottom. Do you see anything that could hurt your body? Sharp rocks? Logs? Wasps/bugs? Barnacles? Sharks? Fishing hooks?”

“Touch the water with your hand. How does the temperature feel? Is it too hot or too cold or just right?”

“Ask permission from the adult who brought you to the pool, before getting in”. We make our clients do this before they get in the water. Every. Single. Time. We are building healthy water smart habits.

“Did you hear about the person who drowned this weekend? I learned they weren’t wearing a life jacket while boating. We always have to wear a life jacket while on the water, even swimming teachers and adults!”.

“Look! You’re floating on your back! This is the safest position to be in if you fall into the water and Mom and Dad aren’t there to help you! You can breathe, you can talk! We can hear you! Relax for a moment and take some breathes in this back float position.”

“I heard you went swimming at a friend’s backyard pool this weekend! What would you do if you noticed your brother/sister, or a friend was drowning and needed help?”.

“Have you ever tried to hold your breath under water for a long time? Did you know that’s actually super dangerous? Let’s play a game where we see who can blow bubbles the longest instead!”.

We aren’t just teaching our clients “how to swim”. It’s so much more than that. Learning to recognize potential hazards and challenges and how to prepare and stay safe in the water is what we are all about. 😎

Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon

Throwback to when my baby Madelyn was 3 months old. This was the fist time I took her into a swimming pool. It was with a group of Mommy friends I made, in one of their backyard pools. (Michelle 💗 Wells)
Fast forward 10 years later and I’m swimming 2.1 km with my “not so little baby” this weekend! Time flies when you’re a parent with littles!
Start them young.

Today I had the pleasure to meet our City Mayor- Mayor Brenda Locke. She attended the opening ceremony for the swim meet that my kids are participating in. I introduced myself and thanked her for two things.
1. Not following suit with neighbouring cities with regard to the Metro Vancouver watering restrictions, so I can continue to top up my pool without an extra hoop to jump through. 🤪

2. For allowing me to operate as the first registered business owner in Surrey to offer private swim lessons out of backyard swim spa. It was not an easy feat to obtain a licence. There were many conversations had with City Hall staff, and many friends involved in making it possible. 3 successive and successful years later, and we are still going strong!

I’m the first person in Canada to offer the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program out of a swim spa, and if it wasn’t for the City of Surrey, AND the Lifesaving Society taking a chance on me, my business wouldn’t exist!

Mayor Brenda Locke thanked me for my contribution to our community and then pulled out this coin and handed it to me as she shook my hand. I feel like a little kid who just was handed a new stuffy. 🤩

When you’re the boss of your own company, you don’t have anyone above you telling you you’re doing a good job, or making the right decisions. You just figure it out for yourself. You take the feedback from your customers, try your best, and hope you don’t fail. I know I’m doing a good job, but sometimes, it just feels good to have someone in a supervisory role tell you that. Although my Mayor is not my boss, she is a strong female leader in the city I live, work, and play in, and I respect and appreciate her words more than she will know.

I accept her challenge and will continue to try my best to serve our community, by sharing my love of water safety and education.

❤️
Brenda Locke City of Surrey Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon Canadian Drowning Prevention ed

What makes Water Safety First stand out from other private companies?
✅Lessons taught by certified Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon Swim Instructors, who are also certified National Lifeguards
✅We offer snacks and a juice box for each student, post swim! (No one likes a hangry child).
✅We are a registered business through the City of Surrey
✅We are a registered affiliate of the Lifesaving Society BC and Yukon branch
✅We have specialized training through the Canucks Autism Network and Lifesaving Society
✅We issue Lifesaving report cards for all levels, which can then be used as proof of swim assessment at other pools.
✅We have the cleanest pool water and changing facilities that you’ll ever encounter.
✅We have a towel warmer- who doesn’t love warm towel when you’re wet!?😎
✅We have the cleanest air compared to indoor facilities- you won’t be overpowered with the smell of chlorine
✅We have toys for siblings to play with while waiting
✅Free, accessible parking!
✅More than 27 years of combined experience between two instructors
✅Instructors here are passionate about teaching swimming lessons- this isn’t just a job, it’s something we genuinely feel proud and confident about offering our community!
✅We have a cat that brings a lot of joy to some people 🤪

If you’ve been on the fence about signing up, please take the plunge and book in! You’ll learn more in one lesson with us than you could ever imagine. We know because people tell us this on the daily!

This week I had multiple students unable to enter the water for their lesson, (for various reasons), so we did dry lessons instead!

Did you know 911 is the primary number to call if you need to access emergency services in Canada 🇨🇦? I’m sure you did, but did you know that not all regions in Canada use this number? Nunavut, and some other rural areas require a 10 digit number to be called! If you’re travelling to another country, you should educate yourself about their local emergency numbers (in London, 🇬🇧UK the number to call is 999)!

Do your kids know your cell phone numbers? If not, start teaching them now, in the event of an emergency and you get separated. My girls knew their home address and my cell number by the age of 3. 😎

Do your kids know how to respond to someone who has fallen into deep water and is drowning? They should know!
1. Call for help! Use your voice!
2. Find something that floats and throw it to them
3. Never enter the water to rescue them, because they might pull you under and then you’d both be in danger.