top of page

Advertise Here.

Read Full Story Here...
Banner (1).jpg

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service urges public to be water aware

  • Writer: Formby Bubble
    Formby Bubble
  • Apr 25, 2017
  • 3 min read

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service has joined a call by UK fire chiefs to raise awareness of the dangers of everyday activities near water after statistics show that nearly 50% of people who accidently drown in the UK never intended to enter the water.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Water Safety and Drowning Prevention campaign - Be Water Aware is running from 24 - 30 April and is being supported by fire and rescue services throughout the UK. Latest statistics show that in 2015, 321 people died after tripping, falling or simply underestimating the risks associated with being near water.

CFOA's Water safety Lead, Dawn Whittaker, said: "Most people would be shocked to hear that those people drowning just happen to be near water such as runners, walkers and people fishing. They are unaware of the risks and are totally unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water. By highlighting this issue and making sure simple safety messages reach them we hope to reduce the number of these needless deaths. The fire service has successfully reduced the number of fire deaths by focussing on prevention work and now we must apply the same principle to tackling drowning. Response is not enough - we must prevent drownings.”

Fire and rescue services will be giving advice to people on what they should look out for and how to change their behaviour to minimise their risk of becoming one of these statistics.

Messages will be posted on social media using the hashtag #BeWaterAware and people are encouraged to share the posts to spread the message. Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service will be supporting Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week by working with partners from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Mersey ferries to deliver a series of briefings and demonstrations to schoolchildren at the Pier Head in Liverpool and on the Mersey Ferry.

Working as part of the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), the NFCC aims to reduce the number of drownings in UK waters by 50% by 2026. This is outlined in the UK's first Drowning Prevention Strategy, which was launched on 29 February 2016 by Robert Goodwill MP.

The water safety messages that fire and rescue services will be delivering will also raise awareness and support of the safety campaigns run by other members of the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), which includes Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).

Station Manager, John O’Boyle said: “Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service are called out to incidents involving rescue from water on a frequent basis. Some of these are people who have deliberately entered the water, either in a distressed state, or possibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs but many people do so accidentally.

“We would urge people engaging in activities near water such as running, dog walking or angling to be especially careful to stay safe. If you are involved in water sports or activities, make sure that you are well prepared, with the correct safety equipment and a good idea of weather conditions. If you have been for a night out, bear in mind that if you have been drinking, your judgement of risk may be affected, take a safe route home away from water.”

For free fire safety advice or to request a home fire safety check, call 0800 731 5958.

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service also provides free smoke alarms for Merseyside residents aged 65 or over.

Photograph by https://estratevents.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/mfrs-logo-2.png

Comments


large-squar-master.jpg
Square Advert.png
Square.jpg
square with Hot Tub.jpg
Square Advert 1.jpg
Logo.png
Large Square Advert.jpg
Square Advert.png
Square.jpg
large-squar-master.jpg

Submit Your News to Formby Bubble

Contact us with your Community News, Business or Sports News. 

Phone our Newsdesk on: 01704 86 30 30 

Email info@formbybubble.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/formbybubble

Twitter  www.twitter.com/formbybubble

Instagram: www.instagram.com/formbybubblenews

 

Please submit your news story to info@formbybubble.com, the biggest news outlet for Formby with over 40,000 individual hits on our website every month and over 500,000 page views!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook App Icon
  • Twitter App Icon
Featured Stories
Banner (1).jpg
Banner Advert.png
Banner.jpg
Born To Order.jpg

Formby Bubble Newsdesk:

01704 86 30 30

CONNECT​ WITH US:​​

  • Instagram
  • Facebook App Icon
  • Twitter App Icon

ADDRESS:

DROP US A LINE:​​

Elm Lodge,

14 Elbow Lane

Formby

L37 4AF

Your details were sent successfully!

Tel: 01704 86 30 30 

If you would like to ADVERTISE ON OUR WEBSITE or our SOCIAL MEDIA pages, please CLICK HERE for more information

Donations To the Bubble:

If you would like to make a donation to help towards the smooth running of the Formby Bubble, please just click the Donate button below to make a donation of your choice. Thankyou.

Sponsor for Formby Bubble:

Formby Bubble is an informative community site which takes a lot of time and effort to run. We are looking for a sponsor. If you are interested please email us at info@formbybubble.com

The sponsor would receive a lot of publicity on our social media sites and on our website.

Square Advert.png

Christmas Chemist in Formby
Open 12 noon to 1pm

Boxing Day

Thursday 26th December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

 

 Christmas Day

Wednesday 25th December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

Sunday 22nd December 2024

Ryders Chemists

41 Old Town Lane,

Formby,

L37 3HJ

Tel: 01704 872173

© 2014 - 2025 Copyright and Intellectual Property Owned by Formby Bubble.

All rights reserved - Terms and Conditions


 

bottom of page