2017 / 2018 ANNUAL REPORT LIFESAVING SOCIETY ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BRANCH LSS WATER SMART ® Working To Prevent Drowning and Water-Related Injury Registered Charity No. 11912 9021 RR0001 All donations gratefully received. Tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or more. Teaching Canadians to save themselves and 13123 - 156 Street | Edmonton, Alberta T5V 1V2 rescue others T: 780 415 1755 | F: 780 427 9334 Annually, over 1,200,000 Canadians participate in our [email protected] | www.lifesavingsociety.org swimming, lifesaving, lifeguard, first aid and leadership programs. Each year, we certify thousands of instructors who provide the leadership for our training programs. Over 30,000 Canadians earn our Bronze Medallion each year. As Canada’s lifeguarding experts, we set the standard for lifeguard training and certify Canada’s National Lifeguards. Making Canadians Water Smart The Lifesaving Society focuses Water Smart drowning® prevention efforts on people most at risk – like men fishing DONATION FORM in small boats – or on those who can make a significant Contact Information difference, such as parents of young children. We deliver Contact Name: DONATE Water Smart messages through our swim program, through TO Address: CANADA’S DROWNING City/Town: the media and community action. Our Swim to Survive Province PREVENTION CHARITY / Territory: program provides the essential minimum skills required to Postal FOR A Code: ® Phone ‘CANADA FREE FROM DROWNING Number: survive an unexpected fall into deep water. AND WATER-RELATED INJURY’E-mail: Donation • The Lifesaving Society is Canada’s lifeguarding expert. The Society is Amount a national, charitable organization with a humanitarian mandate to prevent drowning and water-related injury. $10 Drowning Research Other • All donations are gratefully received and a charitable receipt is issued. (please $20 Payment/Billing indicate $50 • Monetary donations go toward Lifesaving Society Water Smart® amount) Information $ ________ initiatives such as implementing and increasing the number of $100 The Lifesaving Society conducts research into fatal and Cheque Lifejacket Loaner Station programs in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Donations of “gifts in kind” such as lifejacketsCredit may also Visa Card be eligible for a charitable receipt. Number: non-fatal drowning, aquatic injury and rescue interventions. Expiry Mastercard • To make a donation simply complete this donation form Date: and return it to the Lifesaving Society Alberta and NorthwestName Territories by Ongoing research and analysis supports the Society’s mail, fax or email. You can also donate to the Lifesaving on Credit Society through Canada Helps (Search: Lifesaving Society - Alberta &Card (as it Northwest Territories). appears): evidence-based water-rescue training and Water Smart • Donations are eligible for a tax receipt • Donors are recognized through our website, in our annual report and • through promotions where applicable. Please make cheques payable to LIFESAVING SOCIETY • The drowning prevention education. • Donation Classes personal purpose information ○ Distinction Club (donations of Visit$500 or more)of administering www.lifesaving.org requested ○ Merit Club (donations between $300 and $499) donations on this ○ Bronze Club (donations between $100 and $299) to form for our the is collected ○ Friends of the Society (donationsLifesaving up Societyto $99) Alberta and Northwest privacy TerritoriesLifesaving for Canada’s policy. Society the Setting the Standard only. Reg. Drowning Charity No. 11912 9021 RR0001 Prevention 13123 Charity – 156 Edmonton, Street The Lifesaving Society establishes aquatic safety standards Canada Alberta NW T5V 1V2 T: 780-415-1755 [email protected] | and consults on aquatic safety issues for the aquatic www.lifesaving.org F: 780-427-9334 industry, governments and the judiciary. The Society offers a suite of services to help aquatic facility operators maintain and improve safe pool and waterfront operations. We perform aquatic safety audits and serve as experts in legal cases involving aquatic safety. 2017/2018 ANNUAL REPORT LIFESAVING SOCIETY ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BRANCH i Lifesaving Sport The Lifesaving Society is the Canadian governing body for lifesaving sport – a sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation. We use lifesaving sport to engage and inspire youth in our drowning prevention mission. Our Lifesaving Sport Fundamentals program offers a recreational introduction to lifesaving sport skills. Age-group, senior and masters athletes compete regionally, provincially, nationally and internationally. We offer certification programs for officials and coaches. The Lifesaving Society The Lifesaving Society is a full-service provider of programs, products and services designed to prevent drowning. We save lives and prevent water-related injury through our training programs, Water Smart public education, drowning research, aquatic safety management and lifesaving sport. We are a national volunteer organization and registered charity composed of ten provincial/territorial branches, tens of thousands of individual members, and over 4,000 affiliated swimming pools, waterfronts, schools and clubs. 2017 Canadian Surf Lifesaving Championships The Lifesaving Society is a leader and partner in the delivery of water safety education throughout Canada and around the world. (The Society operates globally in over 25 countries.) We represent Canada in the Commonwealth Royal Life Saving Society and we are Canada’s Full Member in the International Life Saving Federation. The World Contents Health Organization recognizes ILS as the world authority in the global effort to prevent drowning. The Lifesaving Society takes lead responsibility for drowning prevention in Forward ................................................................................i Canada. President and Executive Director’s Report ..........................1 We have been teaching swimming, water safety and water rescue in Canada since 1896. Established in England (1891) Financial Report .................................................................. 4 as The Swimmers’ Life Saving Society, we became The Royal Training Programs ................................................................5 Life Saving Society in 1904. Today, we are known as simply the Lifesaving Society. Recognition Awards .............................................................9 ®Lifesaving Society, Water Smart, Swim to Survive, Swim Investiture of Lifesaving Honours ........................................15 for Life and National Lifeguard Service are all registered Recreation and Sport ...........................................................19 trademarks of the Royal Life Saving Society Canada. Public Education and Advocacy .......................................... 23 Safety Management .............................................................30 Member Services ..................................................................32 2017/2018 ANNUAL REPORT LIFESAVING SOCIETY ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BRANCH ii Drowning: The process of experiencing respiratory impairment from immersion/submersion in liquid Drowning: The process of experiencing respiratory impairment form immersion / submersion in liquid. iii 2017/2018 ANNUAL REPORT LIFESAVING SOCIETY ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BRANCH [Type here] President and Executive Director’s Report This annual report highlights and reflects our activity and meet the growing needs of our members and the public achievements in 2017-2018. There was much accomplished while providing innovative programs and enhanced this year including the successful transition of the Chief services. Again we saw record breaking numbers of staff officer role marking the end of a 5 year succession residents in Alberta and Northwest Territories participating plan, the development of new Water Smart® resources, in our education and training programs. We saw over launch of the new Lifesaving Society leadership program, a quarter million participant’s access and participate in the development of standardized aquatic safety signage, Lifesaving Society Programs. We saw more leadership and participation at the World Conference on Drowning volunteers engaged training and mentoring others. Our Prevention in Vancouver. list of communities and partners, who actively support our This business year was marked with both celebration and humanitarian mandate, continue to increase and we cannot sadness. We completed a 5 year succession plan for the achieve our mandate without this support. chief staff officer with the retirement of a good friend The dedicated volunteers serving on our Board of Directors; and colleague Barbara Costache. To celebrate Barb’s long Advisory Councils; Technical Committees and Service standing service, dedication, and commitment to the Units, and members in communities across Alberta and the Society we hosted her retirement party at the Chateau Northwest Territories are essential to provide the capacity Louis Hotel and Conference Centre. Members and affiliate to provide the full program continuum and access to expert representatives from across the province were in attendance services. for the event. Increased public awareness and outreach for Water Smart® This year we also lost two members who were sisters, education was evident through the use and distribution Bridget and Zara Chambers, who were travelling home from of the