Fire services join forces to promote water safety ahead of bank holiday
The 'Be Water Aware' campaign runs through this week
Fire and Rescue Services across the UK are teaming up to promote water safety ahead of what's expected to be a sunny and warm bank holiday weekend.
The call is part of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)'s 'Be Water Aware' campaign which will run from Monday (April 25th) to Friday (April 29th).
Just under half of people who had drowned in 2020 had no intention of getting into bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers and the sea.
Similarly, those jumping into cold water can enter a state of immediate shock which even the strongest of swimmers can drown in.
The main objective of the campaign is to warn people of the risk of accidentally drowning when enjoying time in and near water.
READ MORE: Have you got what it takes to help save a life in the water?
Speaking at the launch of the initiative, the NFCC’s lead for drowning prevention, Dawn Whittaker said that many of the deaths in 2020 were preventable.
“Most people would be shocked to hear that in 2020, 254 lives were lost simply because people were spending time in and around water. These deaths are preventable, so we ask everyone to be water aware," she said.
“NFCC work 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 the Coastguard and RNLI, can be faced with huge numbers of calls to help people in trouble in water."
She added: "By raising awareness now, we hope to keep people safe and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in water as summer approaches.”
Get Water Wise
The Fire Services campaign reflects the "Get Water Wise" initiative by Tay FM, running throughout Summer 2021 which also promoted the danger of open water and the need to be aware of your surroundings when near water.
WATCH: Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle introduce our 2021 Get Water Wise campaign