2 in hospital after rescue from Maple Ridge swimming hole

Two people were sent to hospital on Sunday afternoon after being pulled to shore and cared for by some strangers at Alouette River.

The incident happened at Davidson's Pool, a popular swimming hole in Maple Ridge.

Crews responded to the scene shortly after at around 3:18 p.m. In an emailed statement to CTV News, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) described it as a "a medical emergency."

"BCEHS dispatched four ambulances to the scene. Two patients were cared for and transported to hospital, one in critical condition and one in stable condition," read the statement.

Rob Payne, a nearby resident, assisted with the rescue. He believes the victims were a father and son who went out tubing in the water.

He told CTV News that he dove into the water to find the man and brought him to the river's edge.

"The gentleman came down and flipped ... and because of the undercurrents here, got pushed down into the deepest parts of the pool, which is down in the centre," Payne recalled.

He said he and a few other strangers at the pool tried saving the man's life.

"We were lucky enough to get him up on the rocks and we began CPR," he said.

"It was a heavy day and hopefully, he manages to get through it in the hospital," he added.

Payne said he and his family swim at the pool frequently and it's generally safe although it is not staffed with a lifeguard.

Despite the severity of the incident, it hasn't deterred others from dipping in the water as a large crowd flocked to the swimming spot Monday to cool off in the heat.

Dale Miller, the executive director of the Lifesaving Society for BC/Yukon, urges people to be prepared and get familiar with the water before jumping in.

"First and foremost is to really think about what you would do if something were to happen to someone you're with or yourself as well," he said.

"Do you have something to throw to someone? A rope or something like that? An inflatable even," he continued.

A similar incident happened in Kamloops on Saturday where one man is believed to have drowned in the Thompson River.

According to the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit, fatal drownings are the most common in the summer months.

In an emailed statement, the research institute said "an average of 75 people die a year in BC from drowning."

Miller says it's a silent killer, but one that's preventable with the right precautions, including wearing life jackets.

He also said the presence of lifeguards helps, but there aren't not enough of them in the province.

"We certainly encourage [people] to go to lifeguard supervised areas. We know that less than one percent of drownings occur in lifeguard supervised areas," he said.

"We've had a cohort of people that have been unable to access the training courses to become lifeguards," he added.

With the growing demand for lifeguard courses, Miller says the shortage shouldn't last long and the supply of qualified staff should catch up within a year.