Research Shows Colorful Swimsuits Can Save Lives in Montana

Being on the water in Montana is a popular way to keep cool as the heat increases this summer. Not only will people be hitting water parks and public pools but they will be heading to rivers and lakes. Any time you are around water, safety should be a high priority.

Red Cross Offers Swim Safety Information

The American Red Cross offers swim safety lessons for both pools and for natural water, like rivers. I spoke with Keeley Van Middendorp from the Red Cross about swim safety. She said this about the Red Cross.

We partner with a number of community centers and local pools that promote water safety.. We offer tips for not only pools, when you are swimming, but also what do to to swim safely in rivers and other natural environments. I know with Montana, our geography is challenging sometimes when it comes to swim safety and natural bodies of water. We want to make sure that we have a variety of resources for people.

The Red Cross offers an app about swimming safety, in your app store search "Red Cross Swim" for the app.

Swimsuit Colors Can Save Lives

There has been a graphic that has been making the rounds on social media, and it can be a life saver for swimmers, especially children. It has to do with the color of swimsuit you choose. Certain colors of swimsuits show up much better in the water than others. The graphic is part of a study from Alive-Solutions about water safety from 2021. See below:

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They found the most visible suit colors were neon yellow, green and orange. Another safety concern that Keeley brought up was the importance of a properly fitted life jacket.

A life jacket is key. We'd like to see people fit correctly in their life jackets and that will help greatly reduce any chance of getting into a situation where you're completely submerged.

Keeping cool on hot summer days in the water is something that a lot of us look forward too, but being safe while doing that should be a top concern for us all.