Media Articles and Coverage Turtles Invade Canada!
BOW TO STERN, HOUSEBOAT August 2006,
A unique drowning-prevention device called the Safety Turtle will be available in the more than 450 Canadian Tire retail outlets across Canada this season. The package contains a Safety Turtle base station, a Turtle, a locking wristband and an adaptor for pet collar or life jacket attachment. Additional wristbands are packaged separately. A Turtle instantly detects immersion in water and sets off a loud alarm at the base station.
 Even though the Canadian boating season is relatively short, it is important for families to do what they can to prevent tragedies and implement the necessary layers of protection. Safety Turtle is portable, so that families can protect themselves no matter what kind of boating conditions they encounter. "Approximately 600 people drown each year in Canada in addition to numerous non-fatal water-related incidents and injuries," said John Blaicher, Water Incident Research Alliance (WIRA). "WIRA has collected data regarding water-related incidents, injuries and fatalities in Canada, and we know the importance of water safety devices, especially for children. If all other safety measures such as fences, gates or supervision fail, the Safety Turtle system can provide a last line of defense against a water related incident or fatality."
Incorporated in Canada in 1998, Terrapin Communications Inc. is the sole owner and manufacturer of Safety Turtle, a personal wireless alerting system intended to prevent drowning. Inventor Bob Lyons, president of Terrapin Communications Inc., was the 2004 winner of the prestigious Manning Innovation Award for developing and commercializing the product.
Virtual Lifeline, the world's first wireless lanyard and winner of the 2005 US Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation of the Year award, uses Safety Turtle technology. With the introduction in 2006 of its wireless gate alarm, Safety Turtle now provides two layers of protection for children. A base station onboard alarms if a child manages to open the gate if the gate fails to latch within 11 seconds of adult entry, or if a child wearing a Turtle wristband goes in the water. Because it has an adult bypass switch, the Safety Turtle gate alarm never has to be disarmed.
On a related note...
The Shuswap Houseboating Association has ordered the new Safety Turtles. The move comes after a two-year-old girl died earlier this month when she pushed open a screen door on a houseboat and fell into Shuswap Lake while her parents were sleeping.
Howie Cyr, president of the Shuswap Houseboating Association, said he doesn't know whether companies that rent out houseboats would make it mandatory for children to wear the devices. "We're certainly encouraging parents to utilize it when they're here, but here again, we can't make them put them on," he said.
For more information, visit www.safetyturtle.com or call 800-368-8121.
Copyright © Houseboat Magazine. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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