In light of a recent incident at the Nature's Hideaway Campground near Okotoks, M.D. of Foothills Fire Chief Jim Smith reminds those who frequent the popular swimming hole of the risks involved.

On Sat. July 4, a man was taken to Calgary hospital after he jumped, or fell off a cliff, where many jump off into the river below.

Smith says to his knowledge, the fall wasn't too serious.

"All I know is the individual was jumping off the cliff," he says. "He was unsuccessful in clearing the cliff when jumping, and broke his leg, I believe, on the lower right side."

Each summer, Foothills residents flock to Nature's Hideaway to cool off in the river, and for some, jump off the cliff.

Smith says with the strong current of the river, there's always a danger of getting caught under the large rock after jumping off.

"Wearing a life jacket will help," he says. "But, also, try to find a different place to swim, because it's not very good there. There's a lot of hazards in that hole, plus the flood did leave a lot of hazards that weren't there two years ago."

Smith says although plenty of swimmers enjoy Nature's Hideaway, he's not sure if the reward matches the risk.

"Weigh your odds," he says. "What is it worth? I mean, for an individual to swim and jump there and take the chances, or swim some place that's appropriate and better laid out, such as the parks that the (City of Calgary) has along their rivers, that are laid out for those specific purposes."

Smith says while going into the swimming hole area is already technically trespassing, it's not the only way to get in some trouble.

"It's causing issues for the owners of the campground," he says. "It's causing issues for the RCMP, for EMS and for fire, just to keep these people safe that go there, and there's a lot of people that go there. Also, there's a no parking area there as well, so you shouldn't be parking your vehicles along there."

Smith says on average, the MD Fire Department responds to about seven calls a year at Nature's Hideaway.