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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2019)
LOCAL Wednesday, august 21, 2019 HeRMIstOnHeRaLd.COM • A9 Aquatic centers devise plans to prevent drowning By ANTONIO SIERRA STAFF WRITER H ermiston and Pendleton’s aquatic centers are discuss- ing teaming up to help pre- vent drowning. A youth spent swimming saved Pendleton Parks and Recreation Director Liam Hughes’ life. When he was 10 years old, Hughes and his family went on a vacation to a campground near Biarritz, France, a resort town on the country’s southwestern coast. On the first night there, Hughes and his father went on a bike ride on the coast before deciding to take an unplanned swim in the ocean. But to the two travelers, the opportunity seemed too good to pass up. “The sun was close to setting but it was a warm night and the ocean just looked (too) inviting not to go for a swim,” he wrote in an email. The tide soon pulled Hughes away from shore, and although his dad was still able to stand up, Hughes was disoriented as he was repeatedly “enveloped in a wall of foamy salt water.” Luckily for Hughes, he grew up swimming in a local river in his native England and practiced four times per week as a part of a swim team. Hughes swam as hard as he could back toward the shore, using the crashing waves to boost him, and his father was eventually able to help get him out of the ocean. Hughes shared this story to demonstrate that swimming ability isn’t just for leisure, but also a vital survival tool. In a region where lakes, rivers and creeks are bounti- ful, people never quite know when they’re going to be in the water. He pointed to the drowning of staff photo by Ben Lonergan Lifeguard Elli Nirschl watches over a lap swimmer last week at the Pendleton Aquatic Center. a 35-year-old Umatilla man on the Columbia River in 2018. While fishing, his son fell into the river. Neither knew how to swim, and although the boy was saved, the father drowned. Both the cities of Pendleton and Hermiston are interested in educat- ing the public about safe swimming practices. Because even in the rela- tively controlled environment of a municipal aquatic center, they are discovering a lack of both knowl- edge and ability. Hermiston Recreation Coor- dinator Kasia Robbins said the Hermiston Family Aquatic Center employs 60 lifeguards to monitor its various pools, waterslides and diving boards. Robbins said some parents are over-reliant on lifeguards to watch their children, leading to several situations per day where lifeguards need to jump into the pool for a save or assist. “They’re a line of defense, but they’re not the only line of defense,” she said. Robbins said life jackets are also sometimes used as a substi- tute for close supervision. While life jackets are important for keep- ing a child afloat, she said they can often flip a child onto their stom- ach rather than their back if they go unmonitored. Robbins said adults often over- estimate their child’s swimming ability, so Hermiston is revamp- ing their swimming program accordingly. Instead of telling parents that their children are capable of “flut- ter kicks” and “free arms,” aquatic center staff are reporting whether their child is at a low, medium or high risk of drowning. Pendleton is also interested in drowning prevention, and is plan- ning to launch a public outreach campaign in the spring. He said there’s even talk between Pendleton and Hermiston about collaborating. Robbins said Hermiston is interested in filming a public service announcement with Pendleton. As one of the people who over- sees the Pendleton Aquatic Center, Hughes echoed many of the same concerns Robbins did. He said the ultimate goal of the campaign would be to have all children learn to swim at the same time they learn to walk and to dis- pel the public of the notion that just because it’s a public pool means it’s a safe environment. “We have all seen the Face- book posts of people trying to pet polar bears at the zoo and get- ting attacked. People wouldn’t approach a polar bear in the wild, but because it is in a zoo they think it’s safe. The problem is that (the) polar bear has not ceased to be a polar bear just because you put it in the zoo,” he wrote. “The same is true for pools. Par- ents are cautious letting their kids play in a lake that is 6-foot deep, but don’t think twice about letting them in a 6-foot-deep swimming pool. The water did not become less dangerous because we brought it into a public pool. Anytime we are around water it deserves our respect and attention.” June drowning deaths prompt negligent homicide investigation The sheriff’s office ques- tioned three others who reported the boat’s owner was driving, according to the affidavit, and two of them said Kirkendall only stepped in to take the wheel once law enforcement arrived. By PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITER C arbon monoxide may have played a role in the June drowning deaths of Janice Arsenault and Trenton Williams. The information came from the affidavit Uma- tilla County sheriff’s Sgt. Rowen Hayes wrote June 26 to obtain a warrant to search for evidence of criminally negligent homicide. Arsenault, 44, and Wil- liams, 20, went missing June 15 while boating with friends in Lake Wallula on the Columbia River east of Umatilla. They were on a 21-foot- long blue 2007 Skiers Choice with three other adults, according to the affidavit, and witnesses reported the two were intox- icated. They were chest down on the dive deck at the back when the craft headed to shore. After arriving, the party discovered Arsenault and Williams were not on the boat. A dive team recov- ered their remains June 17. Two days later, a wit- ness came forward and told investigators with the sheriff’s office the story he read in the news about their deaths did not match what he saw the day they went missing. The sheriff’s office The affidavit also revealed Dr. Rudy Ste- fancik, the county medical examiner, reported high lev- els of carbon monoxide were likely a contributing factor in the drowning deaths. The sheriff’s office — at last report — was waiting on the Oregon State Police crime lab’s analysis of blood samples from the victims. Sheriff Terry Rowan did not immediately return a call seeking comment for this report. staff photo by e.J. Harris A Umatilla Fire Department rescue boat searches the south shore of the Columbia River for missing boaters Janice Arsenault and Trenton Williams in June east of Umatilla. at the time reported Richard Kirkendall, 41, of Herm- iston, drove the boat. But according to the affidavit, Kirkendall was not the only driver. The witness claimed he stopped in his boat that day to talk with the people in the Skiers Choice. He said he noticed the two people hanging off the dive deck. The affidavit also stated the witness said the boat’s owner — not Kirkendall — was driving. Deputy Jon Roberts asked the witness if he was sure about who had the helm. The witness said he was positive, according to the document. He said he knew the owner of the boat and did not recognize the other man, referring to Kirkendall. The East Oregonian declined to identify the owner at this time because there have been no arrests or charges in the case. The boat pulled away with Arsenault and Williams on the dive deck, the witness said, and after the owner cut power to coast to the beach, he thought “he saw some- one that was struggling to stay above the water,” but it was too far away and saw it only for a split second. He said he dismissed the image because children were floating on rafts and playing about 30 feet from the same place. PET OF THE W EEK Suzie is approx a year old. She is leash trained. Does not do well in the crate. Is house trained. Suzie is an energetic dog and will need an active family or another dog for her to play with. She does not do well in a car and will need working with on this. She loves the water. Fence needed Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com MEET ! E I Z SU PLACE YOUR AD HERE! Contact Audra at 541.564.4538 Today! If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 Requires Total Plan with Unlimited Plus Data, new line, port-in, credit approval, qualified smartphone purchase and Device Protection+ and comes via monthly bill credit on a 30-mo. Retail Installment Contract. Taxes, fees and terms apply. Hermiston 1565 N. 1st St. 541-289-8722 Things we want you to know: New consumer or small business (25 lines or less) Total Plan line with Unlimited Plus Data and port-in required. Purchase of a qualifying device via 0% APR, $0 down, 30-mo. Retail Installment Contract (RIC), credit approval and Device Protection+ required. Qualifying device is any base-model and -memory phone with an MSRP greater than $600. Tax due at sale. 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