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West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) joined forces with Yorkshire Water today to give a safety message at Warley Moor Reservoir (Halifax Sailing Club).
Despite the scorcher of a week, the weather did turn to rain, but firefighters were not deterred from carrying out their water rescue exercise, in their protective gear and life-jackets.
The exercise was designed to show a mock-up water rescue in support of the national Drowning Prevention Week run by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) this week.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called to 32 water rescue incidents across the region in 2016/17 – this in all types of open waterways.
Sadly four resulted in fatalities, 13 people were rescued with injuries and the rest were rescued without injury (see full breakdown of figures at end).
There has also been a tragic drowning of a teenage in a Rochdale Reservoir this week (June 19) which is over the border from WYFRS.
WYFRS’s Martyn Greenwood said: “We are very saddened to hear about the tragic loss of life of a youngster at Greenbooth Reservoir, Rochdale, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family.
“Despite the inclement weather today we really hope that our water safety messages will get across to the public, especially in light of the recent heatwave we have experienced.
“The Fire Service does not just put out fires. We are trained and equipped to carry out water rescues too. It’s very tempting in hot weather to enter the water to cool off but you can very easily get into difficulty as cold water shock takes control of the body. Please do take care if you are out and about over the Summer months near open water.”
In the UK, around 400 people die from drowning as a result of an accident in or around water.
Nationally, the emergency services respond to over 100,000 water-related rescues, and flood events every year.
Darren Lynch, Regional Raw Water Manager at Yorkshire Water said: “We’ve seen recently the devastating impact that swimming in reservoirs can have and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young man who tragically lost his life this week at Greenbooth reservoir in Rochdale.
“Even though the weather’s taken a turn for the worse today, we still want to highlight the dangers of swimming in reservoirs. They may look tempting to take a swim in but they can be killers and today’s practice rescue will hopefully raise awareness of these risks amongst young people. Cold water shock can lead to hyperventilation, increased blood pressure, breathing difficulties and heart attacks plus water temperatures remain just as cold in summer as in winter.”
We are also promoting the ‘Float to Live’ summer safety message from the Royal National Life Saving Institute (RNLI).
With the launch of their hard-hitting video, they deliver advice on how to react should you become stricken in cold water.
Everyone who falls unexpectedly into cold water wants to follow the same instinct, to swim hard and to fight the cold water. But when people fight it, chances are, they lose.
Cold water shock makes you gasp uncontrollably and breathe in water, which can quickly lead to drowning.
If you find yourself unexpectedly in the water, the message is to float until the cold water shock has passed and you will be able to control your breathing and have a far better chance of staying alive.
This is their new video around #FloatToLive which we have shared on social media.
Further advice
Safety Advice for Dog Walkers
Safety Advice for Drinkers
What to do if someone falls into deep water:
Water rescue incidents attended by WYFRS. Please note that the rise in 2015/16 is due to the increased number of incidents during the Boxing Day Floods 2015.
Incidents | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | ||||
Bradford | 1 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 3 | ||||
Calderdale | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | ||||
Kirklees | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | ||||
Leeds | 8 | 6 | 13 | 40 | 18 | ||||
Wakefield | 6 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 5 | ||||
Total | 20 | 15 | 31 | 93 | 32 |
The below tables show the outcomes of the above water rescue incidents. People were either rescued uninjured, were rescued with injuries or sadly proved fatal. Please note that more than one individual may be rescued in a single incident.
|
||||||
Fatal | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | |
Bradford | 1 | 1 | ||||
Calderdale | 1 | 2 | ||||
Kirklees | 2 | |||||
Leeds | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
Wakefield | 1 | |||||
Total | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
Injured | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | |
Bradford | 1 | 7 | 1 | |||
Calderdale | 2 | 3 | ||||
Kirklees | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
Leeds | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | |
Wakefield | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
Total | 7 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 13 | |
Rescued without injury | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | |
Bradford | 17 | 2 | ||||
Calderdale | 3 | 1 | 37 | 2 | ||
Kirklees | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
Leeds | 5 | 3 | 7 | 46 | 9 | |
Wakefield | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 | ||
Total | 13 | 5 | 18 | 118 | 15 | |
Follow the Fire Service on Twitter via @WYFRS or Yorkshire Water via @YorkshireWater. For more information visit:
http://www.rlss.org.uk/water-safety/drowning-prevention-week/