Spokesman for River Safety

This front page photo in the Spokesman Review shows a family on the river with nobody wearing a life jacket!

Paul Delaney, President of the Northwest Whitewater Association and friend of the Forum, wrote a letter to the editor beseeching the Spokesman Review to use images that promote rather than detract from safety. Kudos to the Spokesman for printing.

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Opened my Aug. 3 Spokesman and could not believe my eyes with the photo of grandma and her flock of kids under 7 floating merrily along on the Little Spokane River.

Out of the group only one had any type of personal flotation – and arm floaties would not go far in saving that little one. On moving water gramma would be forced to choose who she might want to save if the group capsized.

As a parent and grandparent myself, to think that the grandmother would have even considered taking to the water like this in the first place is almost beyond belief!

But for a Spokesman-Review editor to think such a photo was worthy of publication shows pure incompetence! There certainly had to be other photos of people having fun in the sun.

Consider the fact that in the month of July, two young adults have drowned in the Spokane River and a 3-year-old was also reported to have drowned. Not one of course had life jackets!

Funny how grandma seemed to think the kids needed to be dressed head-to-toe for apparent UV protection, but not tools essential to crucial safety in case of an accident?

Having been a whitewater rafter for over 40 years, safety has and is the top concern before hitting the water. This image goes against any and all of those best practices!

Paul Delaney
Spokane