HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1999-02-24, Page 6II -TME HURON tXPO$ITOR, FMrra.y 24, 1999
Icy lessons taught on flood safety
Students learn
arms and legs
won't work
after 30 seconds
in freezing water
BY SCOTT HiLGENDORFF
Expositor Editor
If you fall in a cold.
swollen river, you have about
30 seconds before your arms
and legs will .no longer work
and you won't be able to get
out...
That was one of the
messages 'Rob Ridley,
conservation education
technician with the Ausable
Bayfield Conservation.
Authority. had for students at
Huron Centennial School this
month. •
"You have- 30 seconds
before -you lose your voice."
he said.. stressing the first
thing a person needs to-do is
call for help. In the next few
weeks. Ridley will have been
to Kindergarten through
Grade 6 classrooms across
the Ausable/Bayfield
watershed educating students
about river safety and the
dangers of flooding.
He said•it's important t�
start now to.reach'all the
students before the spring
thaw, when flooding can be
expected.
"We've already had at least
one thaw," he said. It
prompted conservation
'authorities across Southern
Ontario- to • issue flood
warnings and advise. people
to stay away from creeks.
rivers and streams about two'
weeks ago. '
Ridley said the goal is, to
keep children away from ,
rivers and off of ice that could
be .dangerously thin. The
program also teaches them
how to help themselves. and
others if someone does fall in
a river or through the ice.
Students are also advised to
stay away from .slippery.
overhanging banks. that could
cause them to slip into a fast •
moving river.
It they fall in. he told
students. "This water is
extremely, cold. This water is
so cold. it's painful. -
To illustrate. he has two
students place their hands in
Students at Huron Centennial School recently had a
lesson in flood safety, learning that after 30 seconds, their
body could be paralysed in icy cold water like that in the
buckets two volunteers stuck their hands into.
HILGENDORFF PHOTO
buckets. of water full of ice to
see how- long they can keep
their hands inside.
Rarely does anyone make it
to the.30 second mark. he
said. •
He told students if they fall
through the ice. they have to
do a self -rescue.
That means, spreading your
arms out ac'ros- • the ice
surface around .you.. rather,
than in one place- to lessen the
chances of pushing through
more ice. -He told the students
to pull. themselves 'up by
kicking as hard as they Jean: •
.'The ice might break. If it
does: try •agair :' he said.
Once they are back ori the ice.
he -told them not to Stand up
but to roll off the ice or they
could fall through again by
putting all their weight on one
spot.
If someone. else falls' in. he
told them tonin for an adult's
help. When rescuing another.
hesaid:the rescuer is the most
important- person because -if
that person gets in trouble.
they'could both drown.'
The rescuer needs to lav
flat and never offer his Or her -
own hand to help..' •
"When someone's in -the
• Water.. they're panicking.
When someone';;panics.
they'"re super strongand
they'll be able. to pull you in.-
he -said. speaking' from
experience. • •
He tried to pull a young girl
from a pond- and was almost
• -pulled in- himself until another.
adult 'grabbed the girl's other
arm and together. they were
able to pull her out.
'Instead-. he said the rescuer
. needs to use a scarf. coat..
hockey .snsk: ladder ot;
anything .that might. be ,
extendeo.for: the victim to
• 'reach. That way. if the rescuer
starts to ger pulled in. he or .
' She can let go•ot the object
and try again with something.,
else or more help.
Ridley said it's been years
since an incident --has
happened in this. area and
.would like to. think the , tlood
.water program has been •a
help in preventing incidents.
Pork producers can see hght at the end
BY CARL S•T'AVROiS
Clinton News -Record StatT
Huron County's pork.
producers 'are seeing the
light -at the end of the ,long.
dark -tunnel -since the crash-.
of prices last November and
December. but they are still
not out of danger. • •
In mid-December, the
'price for 100 kgs. •tckg.) of
pork fell to $36.68 from the
year's high of $17165 a
little morethan six months
before - a -drop of almost
400 per cent. -
Dan Carlow; • Field
Services Manager with the -
Ontario Ministry • of
Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs, said he had.never
seen pork prices this low.
"Those are prices straight •
from the depression years. ..
hut in the depression years.
expenses were not as -high.
. said Carlow. '
Pinpointing the: reason for
-such a dramatic price drop
and resulting difficulties is
hard for pork producers.
Keith Robbins. Director
of Communications for.
OntarioPork Producers,
believes market fluctuations,
shortened weeks due to the
holiday schedule and 'the .
strike at Quality Packers all
contributed to the current
situation. Carlow added that
an excess of 'supply on the
world market could also
have beetl,a factor.
• Regardless, • the
difficulties for Huron
County, pork producers
continue to be grim.
The situation worsened
kin Dec. 8 of last year when
2S per cern of the entire
province's pork processing
ground to a halt at Quality
Packers in Toronto. County
farmers now had to look
elsewhere to sell their pigs.
Pat Down, president of
the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture
(HCFA) said that farmers
were forced to ship their
hogs as far away as Alberta. '
As a result, they were
paying ,upwards of $30
dollars- for shipping alone.
which left very little to
cover all the other operating
expenses such as feed and
veterinary fees.
- • Carlowgave an•
indication of the situation
facing the -farmers.
"Get the average wage
earner to work all week._
then they get a bill ;for
$5.000. Many producers in
Huron. County were facing
this ' dilemma during
November and December."
In recent weeks. the price
has returned to above the
$100 level,
Although this has- helped:
farmers somewhat. their
operating costs continue to
exceed profits. .
The average break even.
point for pork farmer. is
$130 /ckg. - a shortfall of
'530 /ckg means that farmers
are .till losing money. said
Carlow, adding. they are yet
to have the opportunity to
recoup the losses they
amassed up to this Ivant.
However, industry
officials believe there is
reason to be.optimisue:
.
• --The price -of pork k much
closer to the break.eyen
point' than two months ago.
Combined with the higher
price, the recent resolution
to the strike at Quality
Packers and the resulting
decrease in transportation.
costs indicates stability may
be on its way.
Farmers themselves have
also been attempting to ease
the pressure of tow prices by
maximizing every dollar
invested to reduce the losses
they are continually
suffering. Otte tactic that is
being employed. according
to Carlow, is by maximizing
the feed efficiency ratio.
Normally, it takes three to
four pounds of feed to gain
one pound on the hog.
"The last pound is always'
the most difficult,"
explained Carlow. For this
reason, the farmers have
decided 16 ship the animals
out for processing. sooner
than they normally would,
thereby saving the money on
teed.
Carlow. also stated things •
such as repairs are being put-
on hold. but insurance
premiums•aand labor.cbsts
can not be put off.
Assistance has tome to
the farmers Government'
aid. programs and
educational seminars have
been developed in response.
The Federal government has
implemented the Whore
.Farm Relief Program.•'This
aid package will . be
accessible to _producers
effected by last summer's
drought .as well •as Huron
County's severely. effected
pork •farmers. Carlow
explained that the
application: process is slow
and.difficult. but OMAFRA
is assisting • through
workshops and seminars on
the -details of. the program.
'The Huron. County • Pork
Producers, OMAFRA. and
• Human • Resources
Dccelopment Canada have
responded with a stress and
resource management'
program headed by Gabe
Del Bianco. Del Bianco will
assist farm] ers---throw-gh-
counselling. •
Further steps'are being
taken• by both governmental
agencies and the Ontario
Pork Producers to attempt to
avoid a similar crisis from
occurring. in the' future.
Keith Robbins of. the
Ontario • Pork • Producers
explained that there are
sessial presentative
alternatives that the pork
iindustry is evaluating. An
emergency loan program in:,
association with the.
chartered bank. is being
considered as well as risk
management education for•
farmers in association with
OMAFRA.
Unfortunately, the break •
even point is not expected to
happen very' 'soon. It is
hoped that the price will
recover over the next few
weeks and .months, but the
Spring time will bring new
problems for the already
financially strapped pork
farmers. ,
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