Minnesota Cold Water Awareness Day - Saturday - April 5, 2008

A report by Ron Jacobson, Brian James Jacobson's grandfather

The fourth annual Minnesota Cold Water Awareness Day news conference was held on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota on Harriet Island at 10:00 am. The news conference is sponsored by coldwaterwarning.com and is given to promote water safety and to educate folks, especially young swimmers, about the danger of cold water. Participants included coldwaterwarning.com, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, American Red Cross and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Water Patrol.

It was a beautiful day and we were all ready to go at 10:00 am. However, no media reporters showed up to cover the news conference. This was a disappointment but understandable. Media reporters had always covered the conference the previous three years. But this year there were more than two major accidents on Saturday that had just happened and the media was covering them. Our prayers and thoughts go to those harmed and their families and communities. We waited for about thirty minutes and then packed up our experiment and went home.

It is important that folks be reminded in the spring about water safety and the danger of cold water to young swimmers especially. That is why we do this in April. It takes a bit of preparation. We send a request to the governor to proclaim the day cold water awareness day, which he did this year. Then we alert the media of the conference by sending out a media advisory telling who, what, where, when and why we are doing the news conference. We begin contacting media reporters and they begin to put together stories and announcements. Concurrent with that activity the news conference participants put the final touch on what they are going to say and do at the news conference.

We are happy to report that the cold water awareness day story did make the Minnesota Parent Magazine April web edition and hard copy edition. Also the Minneapolis StarTribune had a story in the Sunday edition. MNN radio network covered the story and broadcast it in Minnesota. I'm sure there was coverage elsewhere All media reporters were very helpful in getting out the word about how important it is to know about the danger of cold water and how the sudden submersion of a person into cold water can cause drowning by cold shock and the gasp reflex or by swimming failure due to arms and legs loosing strength because of the cold water.

We did get a good picture of all the participants who were ready to do the Minnesota Cold Water Awareness Day news conference. Hopefully next year media reporters will be there too.

First row: Mike Nevala (supporter) and his dog Koda. Second row from left to right: Kim Ruud (Water Patrol) and Courtney Johnson (American Red Cross). Back row from left to right: Dick Hagen (Water Patrol), Roger Janzig (coldwater), Don Bellfield (volunteer), Tim Smalley (DNR), Tim O'Donnell (coldwater), John Raby (American Red Cross), Claude Anderson (coldwater) and Ron Jacobson (coldwater).

We thank all of the above for their support and participation. Also we want to thank Karol Jensen for web page development and Amanda Warren for web page graphics. A special thanks to Gare Frick for art work and support and to Karen Jensen for being a thoughtful founding member of coldwater. We appreciate the support received from Governor Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. A big thank you to the many supporters who have given financial support to coldwaterwarning.com (a nonprofit corporation in Minnesota). Lastly, thanks to all who teach young swimmers about the dangers of cold water - including media reporters, family members and the good people of Minnesota.