Avon Fire & Rescue Service has issued a safety warning to locals as the weather warms up and people head to waterways to enjoy the sunshine.
Image © Avon Fire & Rescue Service
The warning comes after the fire service carried out nine water rescues in the region since the beginning of the year.
The alert coincided with the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) “Be Water Aware” campaign, which ran from 24th to 30th April 2023.
The campaign aimed to educate people about the risks associated with accidental drowning at inland and coastal locations. Data reveals that in 2021, there were 277 deaths in the UK resulting from accidental drowning in such areas.
To avoid incidents, Avon Fire & Rescue is encouraging people to take extra precautions when around water and familiarise themselves with safety advice.
Ben Thompson, Temporary Group Manager for Prevention and Protection at AF&RS said: “Even on a warm day the temperature in open water can remain very cold, causing cold water shock, a physical reaction which can make it difficult to control breathing, cause panic and make it difficult to swim.
“If you do find yourself in difficulty in the water, try not to panic and ‘Float To Live’.
“This means leaning back in the water, spreading your arms and legs to stay afloat, controlling your breathing and when the effects of cold water shock have passed call out for help or swim to safety.
Ben added: “If someone is in trouble in water, call 999. At the coast ask for the coastguard. If you are inland, ask for the fire service.
“It’s important people call for help rather than entering the water to attempt a rescue as this can often result in emergency services needing to find and rescue more people from the water.”
Top tips for enjoying the water safely
- Take care when walking or running near waterways and always keep children and pets well back from the edge.
- Only swim where it’s safe and legal to do so.
- If you find yourself in difficulty in the water, float to live. Lean back, spread out your arms and legs and control your breathing.
- If you find someone else in difficulty in water, do not get into the water to help. Call 999 and offer help from a safe distance away from the edge such as tossing them a throw line or life ring.
- When calling 999 for a water incident, ask for the Coastguard when you’re at the coast and if you’re inland, ask for the fire service.
Dawn Whittaker, NFCC’s lead for drowning prevention said: “Most people would be shocked to hear the number of lives lost simply because people were spending time in and around water.
“These deaths are preventable, so we ask everyone to be water aware.
“NFCC works closely with fire services and partners to encourage people to be safe around water and to highlight the risk of accidental drowning.
“As the weather improves fire services across the country, along with our colleagues in HM Coastguard and RNLI, can be faced with huge numbers of calls to help people in trouble in water.
“By raising awareness now, we hope to keep people safe and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in water as summer approaches.”
