Lifejackets: Saving spectacular beards and 
the men who grow them since the 1850s. 

The first modern lifejackets were cork vests that began saving the lives of the men who wore them back in the 1850s. No one knows how many lives lifejackets have saved since then. But we do know that each year in Canada, approximately 520 Canadians die needlessly in unintentional water-related fatalities.

Lifejackets have been around this long for a reason: THEY WORK. 

When it comes to lifejackets or PFDs, close by isn’t close enough. Choose to WEAR your lifejacket or PFD and make every boating outing a return trip.

Picking your lifejacket or PFD

• Is it Canadian-approved?
• Will it support the person it was made for?
• Are all the snaps, belts, ties, tapes
  and/or zippers in good condition?
• Is it easy to put on and take off?
• Can you move your arms freely when wearing it?
• Does it let you bend at the waist?
• Can you see the ground at your feet and
  walk over obstacles easily?
• Does it keep your head above water?
• Can you swim and manoeuvre easily in the water?
• Have you attached a whistle to your flotation device?

Share your #lifejacketliving photos

Want to help spread the word? Dig up an old photo of you or someone in your family wearing a lifejacket and share it on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #lifejacketliving

Lifejacket & Boating Safety Tip Sheet

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