Today marks the beginning of Drowning Prevention Week

It’s drowning prevention week, (June 15th-25th) and as the weather gets hotter it is the perfect time to learn how to respect the water.

Drowning Prevention Week, created by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and this year run in
partnership with the RNLI and Swim England, will see a deluge of water safety activity flood the UK and
Ireland from 15 – 25 June, 2018.
The national campaign aims to ensure everyone knows how to have fun and stay safe near water, and a host
of free resources have been produced to help supporters promote water safety.
More than 700 people drown in the UK and Ireland every year and many more have near-drowning
experiences, sometimes suffering life-changing injuries.

Di Steer, RLSS UK’s Chief Executive, said: “We urge as many people as possible to take advantage of the activities  and learn what could be potentially lifesaving skills. We thank for getting involved with the campaign, and for helping people learn the skills they need to stay safe and enjoy the water”.

Various organisations around the country are hosting events during the week to help teach the public about water safety, such as  Kent Fire & Rescue & East Sussex Fire & Rescue’s  Water Savy Day  on Saturday 16th June.

When visiting the beach… Know your flags

Flags are placed to advise of dangers and indicate safe swimming areas.

Red Flags – Mean danger, no swimming under any circumstances. You may not be able to see the danger, but it’s there! Be careful not to fall in to the water accidentally. Many drownings happen to people who never intended to be in the water.

Red & Yellow Flags – These are put out by lifeguards. The indicate an area that is safe for swimming & bodyboarding and is being monitored by lifeguards. There will be two of these and the area in-between is the place to swim. If these are taken away this indicates that the lifeguard team are no longer monitoring that area and it is advisable to leave the water.

Black & White Flags – These are also put out by lifeguards but it is NOT safe to swim in this area. It is reserved for water sports such as surfing and windsurfing. There will be two of these and the area in-between them is the lifeguarded water sports zone.

For more information on Drowning Prevention Week –
Visit the website at www.rlss.org.uk
Follow them on Twitter – @RLSSUK
Visit the Facebook page – facebook.com/RLSSUK

For tips on how to keep yourself and your family safe click here: https://rlss.org.uk/water-safety/water-safety/  

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