Major swim warning issued as people urged to learn simple ‘life-saving’ skill

IRELAND has marked National Water Safety Awareness Week with several appeals ahead of the busy summer season.

Water Safety Ireland has warned people to give the topic as much attention as they do road safety, particularly over the holidays.

Ireland averaged ten drownings every month over five years, with men accounting for 70 per cent of the victims.

More than half of accidental cases were preceded by land-based activities such as walking and angling from shore.

People often drown due to unexpected falls or when overestimating their ability and underestimating the risk.

Writing in The Irish Sun on Sunday, RNLI Water Safety Lead Linda-Gene Byrne explains what to do if you get into trouble in the water.

AS schools break for the holidays, we are all starting to plans for what we hope will be a good summer.

A lot of these thoughts include enjoying the outdoors, whether by lakes, rivers, or the coast.

Let’s face it, living on this beautiful island, we are never far from water and we love it.

This year, the RNLI is celebrating its 200th year — that’s two centuries of search and rescue with lifeboat crews saving lives at sea and more recently, on inland waters.

It provides a 24-hour service around Ireland and the UK, up to 100 nautical miles offshore and is reliant on a team of highly trained and committed volunteers in communities, to carry out that service.

There are all-weather boats for long-range callouts and smaller RIBs for those rescues that happen closer to shore, around rocks and caves.

Lifeboat crews work with colleagues in other agencies, including the Irish Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland, Community Rescue boats and others.

Across Ireland, the RNLI has 46 lifeboat stations (four of which are on inland lakes) which house 62 lifeboats.

Last year volunteer lifeboat crews launched 963 times and in the last five years, 47 per cent of our launches took place during June, July, and August.

So, while many are thinking of slowing down, we are coming into our busy months.

According to figures provided by our colleagues in Water Safety Ireland, from 2017 to 2021, there have been an average of 118 drownings per year.

Part of our RNLI team includes 130 water safety volunteers whose focus is to deliver water safety messaging to help communities reduce drowning fatalities.

HALF OF DEATHS DIDN’T INTEND TO BE IN WATER

Through our water safety work we can reduce risk, prevent serious incidents, and save lives, before the lifeboat is needed.

Of the accidental drownings in Ireland, 56.6 per cent of these involved people who did not plan to be in the water.

They may have fallen in while walking, angling from the shore or even cycling.

As we are in National Water Safety Awareness Week, the RNLI is asking people to take a few minutes to have a conversation about what to do if you fall into the water unexpectedly.

We have a key piece of advice called Float To Live that if carried out, can save your life.

There’s even a video online with a catchy song that, once you hear it, will be in your head or sung at high volume in your car by your children, all summer.

But however, you do it, or wherever you do it, please have the conversation. See what you know, and more importantly, what your children know about water safety.

Practise how to float in a safe environment. Picture a starfish and copy it.

When you have assumed this position you can get your breathing under control and work out what you need to do next.

Swim to shore if it’s near or wave your hand in the air and call for help.

Float To Live is a lifesaving skill and having the confidence to float in a life-or-death situation could make all the difference.

Cold water shock is our body’s natural response to entering cold water and it can very quickly lead to drowning.

Floating, even for a short time, allows the effects of cold-water shock to pass. It enables you to regain control of your breathing and your survival chances will greatly increase.

And remember, if you see someone in trouble on the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coast guard.

Lifeboat crews would rather be called out and it turn out to be a false alarm with good intent then you second guess it.

Let’s have a great summer and all enjoy the water safely.