Water safety advice for Scots stressed on World Drowning Prevention Day
An event was held at the Kelpies, Falkirk to highlight response protocols by some emergency services
The importance of water safety awareness has been stressed at a demonstration in Falkirk to mark World Drowning Prevention Day.
An event was held at the Kelpies to highlight emergency response protocols by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and first responders to drowning incidents.
There was also a demonstration by a group of Newfoundland dogs specially trained for water rescue.
Support for the global prevention day – which will see world landmarks lit up blue - follows the launch of a Scottish Government action plan to help prevent people from drowning in Scotland.
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Community safety minister Ash Regan said, with Scottish schools closed for summer, it is vitally important everyone heeds crucial water safety advice.
She said: “I welcome the opportunity to support the World Health Organisation’s World Drowning Prevention Day. We are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and surrounded by waterways that can appear tempting during hot weather.
“But it’s vitally important people exercise extreme caution if venturing into open water and that they heed all of the safety advice. Entering any waterway has an element of risk and can have tragic consequences."
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Ms Regan added: “The Scottish Government takes the issue of water safety very seriously and our sympathies remain with everyone affected by the tragedy of a water fatality.
“We work closely with Water Safety Scotland (WSS) and other partners, including local councils, Police Scotland, RoSPA, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to implement and support initiatives that can help raise awareness of the hazards around water and reduce deaths from accidental drowning.
“I have witnessed today work to prevent water tragedies from occurring but this is never a substitute for adhering to safety advice when in and around cold water.”