Avon Fire & Rescue Service is marking Drowning Prevention Week by issuing top tips to help parents ensure their children know how to stay safe around water this summer.
25% of primary school pupils leave school unable to swim, and experts fear that as a result of the pandemic, even more young people will lack the ability to swim or rescue themselves if they get into difficulty.
With many opting for staycations once again this year, charity Royal Life Saving Society UK has raised concerns that families will flock to beaches and inland water locations this summer, without considering the potential dangers, putting themselves and others at risk.
Drowning Prevention Week aims to equip people with the skills and knowledge to make the right decisions about water safety.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service has offered 10 top tips to help you stay safe around the water:
- Always supervise children around the water.
- Never swim alone.
- Avoid throwing sticks or balls near water for dogs, and never enter the water to try and save them.
- Alcohol can impair your judgement – don’t drink and drown.
- If you’re going wild water swimming, download What3Words, it can help emergency services find out exactly where you are in the event of an emergency.
- If you find yourself in difficulty in water, float to live. Resist the urge to gasp for breath and lie on your back with arms and legs spread. Move your limbs slowly to help you float. Once your breathing returns to normal, you can call for help.
- Follow all signs in the area, be aware of the local dangers.
- Don’t dive into shallow waters.
- Keep an eye on the weather, if you spot bad weather, pack up and take the fun inside.
- In an emergency, always call 999. If you’re inland, ask for the fire service. If you’re at the coast, ask for the Coastguard.
Meghann Elvin, Water Safety Lead at AF&RS, said: “This summer we want to remind those swimming, relaxing, exercising or spending time near the water to take precautions: you never know what hidden dangers may be lurking beneath the surface.”
Over 400 people accidentally drown in the UK and Ireland every year and many more suffer injury, sometimes life-changing, when they survive drowning.
Meghann added: “By raising awareness of the hidden dangers and encouraging local people to take precautions and know what to do in an emergency, we hope to reduce water related incidents in our area and ultimately, keep people safer without ruining their fun this summer.”
The Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Charity Director Lee Heard, said: “The UK’s beautiful waterways should be places where everyone feels at ease, and can take pleasure from their surroundings, whatever their age, whatever their activity level.
“But we’re urging people to educate themselves and others on how to enjoy water safely, and prevent a fun day out ending in tragedy.”
