Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service urges public to be water aware

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.

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