Presumed drowning death reignites calls for river safety in Kamloops, B.C., but city says it's not that simple

The presumed death of an international student who was swept away in the Thompson River last weekend was "entirely foreseeable [and] entirely preventable," according to a Kamloops, B.C., resident who saved two students from a similar fate last year.

Robert Griffiths, who says he nearly drowned during his rescue efforts near the city's airport last summer, says the city has done nothing to increase safety in popular areas along the river, such as increasing signage or installing life rings.

But a City of Kamloops official says installing safety equipment could actually increase the risk of drownings by giving the impression that dangerous areas of the river are safe to swim in — exposing the city to liability.

On July 6, a Thompson Rivers University international student was playing volleyball on a popular local beach at Overlander Park when the ball went into the water.

When the man in his 20s went to retrieve it, he got swept away in the strong currents, despite attempts by two friends to rescue him.

Police, firefighters and two search and rescue teams have done extensive searches of the area, but the man has not been found and the search is now considered a recovery mission, according to Kamloops Search and Rescue.

WATCH | Student swept away in Thompson River:

Man missing after trying to retrieve a volleyball from Kamloops river

4 days ago

Duration 1:44

Search crews are still out along the Thompson River in Kamloops looking for a man who got swept away Sunday evening. A Thompson Rivers University international student was playing volleyball with friends when the ball went into the water. As Jenifer Norwell reports, when he went in to retrieve it, he ran into issues. While two of his friends tried to help, the man in his 20s was not able to be pulled from the water.

The tragedy prompted Griffiths, 53, to once again call on the City of Kamloops to boost safety measures.

"We should be taking a more proactive approach to communicating hazards and risks for residents and visitors and guests to our city," he told CBC News.

Griffiths, who is an industrial safety manager, says he has called for these changes a number of times since his own rescue effort last year, but nothing has been done.

But a city official says there are no plans to install additional signs or life rings at unsanctioned swimming areas in the city, explaining that suggested changes would be legally risky and could actually entice people into dangerous water.

City of Kamloops director of protective services Ken Uzeloc says Riverside Beach — upstream from where the student was swept away on the weekend — is the only beach in the city that's considered safe for swimming, and only within roped areas when lifeguards are working. 

"If we start opening up other beaches and putting safety equipment along there, it does give that indication, 'OK, well, they're putting this here in case something happens, so it must be OK to swim in this area,'" Uzeloc said.

Uzeloc says all of the rivers around Kamloops are deceptively dangerous.

"On top, it may look calm and smooth, but underneath there's quite a current to it. It goes very fast. The water is cold and even experienced swimmers can have difficulty when they get into that current."

Kamloops Search and Rescue swift water rescue lead Frank Pryce agrees. 

"If you're not a good swimmer, don't go in the water. It's that simple."

City tried life rings in the past

Uzeloc says the city has placed life rings at other beaches in the past, but they kept being stolen or vandalized. 

"It became an endless battle to try and ensure that those life rings were available," he said.

He says the amount of time needed to check on each ring every day would end up being a huge commitment of resources — and the city could be liable if the ring was damaged or missing in an emergency.

"If we're putting something like that in place as a safety feature and then it's not there when people need it, it becomes negligence on behalf of the city," Uzeloc said. 

While many communities don't have life rings near waterways, some like Langford, Salmon Arm, Quesnel and Ladysmith have added them at local beaches.

Uzeloc says he can't speak to the decisions other cities make when it comes to river safety as he hasn't looked into cases beyond what impacts Kamloops directly.

When it comes to enhanced signage, Uzeloc says there are signs at most of the entrances to popular city beaches.

"We can't put signage along the whole riverbanks, the whole city limits — it's just not a feasible plan," he said.

"I hate to say it, but at some point, people have to start paying attention to the warnings that people are giving them," he added.

Pryce, with Kamloops SAR, says he's not sure that having increased signage or life rings would have made a difference in keeping the man from being swept away on the weekend. 

He says the stretch of river at Overlander Park is particularly dangerous because there are sudden drop-offs in the soft sand that can land people in deep, swirling currents.

"You could put a million signs on this river or any other river or any lake, and I don't really think that makes a big difference. The big difference is to be educated," he said.

The City of Kamloops launched an education campaign earlier this summer with radio ads and updated information on its website to let people know about the risks of river swimming.