Emergency crews aim to cut water deaths in Scotland by learning from past tragedies
Around 96 people die in lochs and rivers every year.
Emergency teams are hoping to cut accidental water deaths by half across Scotland over the next three years by learning from previous tragedies.
Around 96 people die in lochs and rivers each year and crews will work together to examine the circumstances leading up to each incident.
The Drowning and Incident Review will look at the timing and the location of each accident to help emergency crews respond to future events.
James Sullivan, Station Commander at SFRS and chair of Water Safety Scotland, added, “DIR provides a clear and consistent format for partners to review water related incidents and gain an understanding of contributory factors.
"This enhanced knowledge will enable a focussed approach to be taken on preventative measures both locally and nationally throughout Scotland”.
It's thought there are around water related deaths each year where crews struggle to figure out what happened.
Carlene McAvoy, Leisure Safety Manager of RoSPA and founder and secretariat of Water Safety Scotland said, “DIR has been specifically created for Scotland and is one of the first of its type in the world.
"It will be used as an important tool in Scotland to enable learning from incidents and mitigate the risk of future incidents.
"This supports the overarching aim of Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy, to reduce accidental drownings by 50 per cent by 2026.”