Kincardine okays safety audit of Station Beach including north and south piers

Kincardine council has agreed to have the Lifesaving Society do an aquatic safety audit of Station Beach, including the north and south piers, at a cost of $2,500.

In committee-of-the-whole last night (Sept. 2), council discussed a letter from Brett Tryon, Blue Flag program manager, noting that the municipality should undergo a comprehensive safety audit of Station Beach before applying to be named a Blue Flag beach in 2016.

"One of the four pillars of the Blue Flag program is safety and services," states Tryon, in the letter. "Safety has been an ongoing concern at Station Beach in regards to the pier and associated rip currents. Other drownings have occurred in 2008, 2010 and 2013. Past Blue Flag control visit reports identified the need for improved safety signage, the repositioning of signage, and the identification of a designated swimming area. The municipality implemented our recommendations for signage and has also installed buoys; however, the recent drowning (of Lucas Johnson Aug. 2) points to a need for more robust safety precautions."

Tryon states that advice from Michael Shane of the Lifesaving Society, who serves as a Blue Flag jury member, is for Kincardine to have a safety audit done of Station Beach and the north and south piers.

Three delegations last night also urged council to proceed with the safety audit.

Holding a photo of his brother, Michael Hancock, who drowned in 2008 after being dragged under by the Station Beach rip current, Graham Hancock (at right, with Matt Harvey on the left) of Kincardine told council that there have been four drownings in the past seven years at Station Beach.

Besides Michael, the victims include: French exchange student Oksana Milovanovic, 16, who died in 2010; Laslo Illy, 72, a summer resident,who died in 2013; and Lucas Johnson, 16, of Goderich who died last month.

"This is a community issue," he said. "This is a lakeside community and we have to show some accountability to our visitors."

He said none of the drowning victims was a long-time resident of Kincardine, adding that the area where the victims lost their lives is a danger zone where no swimming is allowed.

"We have failed to protect unsuspecting swimmers," he said. "We must do something to ensure there are no more drownings."

Hancock recommended a Station Beach safety team be formed to investigate and recommend concrete solutions to safety issues at Station Beach. This team would include staff members, councillors, the OPP, emergency services and the public, in order to make meaningful changes.

He also recommended that the Blue Flag be taken down and removed from Kincardine advertising until proper safety measures are put in place.

Matt Harvey said there is signage at Station Beach that indicates the south pier is a danger zone because of the riptides. "That area has been identified, mapped and labelled as a danger zone, and there's good information, but the map is so small and it took a lot of time to read it."

He also noted that the Blue Flag beach encompasses only a portion of Station Beach and does not include the piers. However, there are no signs along the piers or the beach, notifying swimmers of the danger zone and the riptides, or that it is a no-swimming area.

"Thousands of people come to this beach every year not realizing there is this danger zone," said Harvey. "Four people have died in the past seven years. Statistically speaking, in 10 years, we could lose six more people. I"m asking you to be a committed, strong, brave council and think seriously about saving lives."

He said the OPP patrols the designated area off Station Beach where watercraft are not allowed because they would interfere with the swimmers. "Give the police the tools to get the kids out of the danger zone, and away from the south pier and the riptides."

Harvey urged council to set up the safety team, and take down the Blue Flag until the safety audit is done. "Then, when we have a plan in place, we can raise the Blue Flag again and dedicate it to those who have lost their lives off Station Beach."

Rod Kennedy, uncle of Lucas Johnson, thanked everyone who helped in the search and recovery of his nephew. "Lake Huron is a power unto itself. But Kincardine is a caring community and cannot be indifferent. You must make improvements to safety and try, at least, to prevent future tragedies."

Councillor Maureen Couture asked if other groups would have an opportunity for input into this safety audit.

Chief administrative officer Murray Clarke said the Lifesaving Society would not be speaking to the entire community but could engage the public if that's what council wanted.

"We should have input from the public," said Couture, "including experts at the pool, lifeguards, etc."

Councillor Laura Haight said the Lifesaving Society would conduct interviews with various stakeholders, including recreation director Karen Kieffer, the Kincardine Yacht Club, emergency services, and the Mysis Rescue Boat group.

"There wouldn't be a public meeting," she said, "but you can expect public engagement. Then they would do up a report for council."

Deputy mayor Jacqueline Faubert said Kincardine should do what other lakeside communities are doing, particularly in the United States, where they hold Beach Safety and Riptide Awareness Month. "We should target not just our residents, but visitors as well."

"A safety audit would be the first step," said mayor Anne Eadie. "Once we have a report from the Lifesaving Society with recommendations, then we would have further discussion."

Councillor Gordon Campbell suggested roping off a safe swimming area in the meantime.

"The problem is enforcement," said Couture. "What if somebody is swimming in that area and something happens; who is responsible? There are liability issues."

"We should be roping off the area beside the south pier immediately," said Haight. "But we have to understand that if we sign the area as a danger zone, it indicates that there are no riptides anywhere else along the shoreline, but that's not the case.

"Riptide awareness is important. Swimming lessons are also vital - students learn to identify rip currents and how to save people caught in them. I'm a lifeguard and so is my husband. We weep for those who lost their lives in the water off Station Beach."

Committee-of-the-whole agreed to direct staff to engage the Lifesaving Society to undertake an aquatic safety audit of Station Beach, including the north and south piers, this year; with the audit funded from the recreation reserve fund - parks, at an estimated cost of $2,500.

That decision was later endorsed by council.

An E-mail to the Kincardine Record, sent last night, states that the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation holds a Rip Current Awareness Month in June.

Geoff Peach of the coastal centre, states: "Each year during the month of June, we promote 'Rip Current Awareness' month where we send out media releases, conduct interviews, use social media, and make our information sheets available along the shoreline. We don't have funding to do this. We do it because of the importance of getting people aware of the dangers of the lake. We do this in June because a similar awareness program is done on the United States side of the lake."

For more information, check out the following links:

lakehuron.ca/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=14&cntnt01returnid=15

lakehuron.ca/index.php?page=beach-safety