FIRE chiefs in Worcestershire is asking people to be safe and sensible in and around water as part of a national water safety campaign.
The Be Water Aware campaign from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supported by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is designed to warn people about the risks of accidental drowning when in and around water.
HWFRS has been called out to 48 incidents involving death from accidental drowning over the last decade with nine in both the Worcester and Wyre Forest areas, with six in Evesham and five in Hereford.
There have been 236 incidents over the same period involving people being rescued or evacuated from open water sources, not including flooding. Often slips, trips and falls can account for these incidents, with some people having no intention of entering the water.
As part of the campaign the public are warned not to underestimate the risks of jumping into water where unseen hazards and cold water temperatures can endanger even the strongest swimmers.
The campaign warns open water temperatures can remain low and cause cold water shock even on warm days, leading to symptoms of panic and difficulties controlling breathing or swimming.
In the event you find yourself in this situation, the campaign advises people deploy ‘float to live’ techniques which involves doing your best to remain calm, leaning back in the water and spreading your arms and legs to stay afloat and help control your breathing.
When the effects of cold water shock have passed, call out for help or swim to safety.
The guidance also outlines how important it is to call for help rather than entering the water to attempt a rescue if you find someone in the water in this type of situation.
If someone is in trouble in water, call 999 and 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.”
