‘Stay out of the water’ - New plea after river deaths
A drive to stop people dying in the county’s rivers has become the focus of a campaign backed by West Mercia’s police and crime commissioner.
John Campion said there were too many avoidable water deaths across the West Mercia region.
He has pledged his commitment to work with the West Mercia Search and Rescue (WMSAR) charity to stop deaths in rivers.
WMSAR is partially funded through a PCC grant. It consists entirely of volunteers, who are regularly called to assist in water recoveries.
They launched the Home and Dry Campaign, with the backing of the charity’s ambassador, Kirsty Walsh, who was widowed with two children when her young husband drowned.
The charity has created a water safety course suitable for all ages, which includes information on the dangers of water and how to rescue someone in trouble.
The course is available online or as an offline version, which can be delivered to schools and colleges.
Volunteers have also been carrying out river safety patrols at stretches of the river near to pubs and clubs on busy evenings.
Mr Campion paid tribute to Mrs Walsh’s efforts to raise awareness of the potential dangers and said they would continue to work on preventing any future deaths in the rivers.
He said: “There are too many avoidable water deaths across West Mercia.
“I am committed to working with WMSAR to give our communities information and advice, which will keep them safe.
“Accidental drownings pull resources from our emergency and volunteer services.
“The advice is simple – steer clear of open water.
“The commendable work of volunteers and the charity’s ambassador Kirsty Walsh has brought this important issue to light, and it’s important we build this awareness to have no more river deaths.”
Andy MacAuley, chairman of West Mercia Search and Rescue, said the online course had proved popular and that he hoped its advice could save people’s lives.
He said: “West Mercia SAR’s crews train hard to stay safe around water. We wanted to push some of the key life-saving tips, which anyone can use, to the public.
“Thousands of people have completed our free online course, and we hope that this could save lives in the period before our colleagues from fire & rescue are able to get units to an incident.
“Basic rescue techniques and practical advice on the unseen dangers that water can hide are packaged up in to a 30-minute course which we think that anyone who lives, plays or works near the water could get involved with.”
West Mercia Police Chief Superintendent Kevin Purcell praised volunteers for their efforts to help keep people safe, and he urged the public to heed advice around river safety.
He said: “We fully support the Home and Dry campaign and are grateful for the work the volunteers at West Mercia Search and Rescue along with RNLI and the fire service are doing right across the West Mercia area to raise awareness of the importance of water safety.
“We may be some distance from the coast but right across the area there are many lakes, rivers and quarries all of which are great places to visit but as with any open water they do pose a risk.
“Tragically too many people have lost their lives as a result of going into unsafe water causing untold grief to their loved ones.
“Even if the water looks calm or someone thinks they are a strong swimmer they can get caught out and end up getting into difficulty, the power of the current should never be underestimated and we would urge people to only ever swim in open water in a controlled environment.”
For further information on the Home and Dry Campaign, go to the website westmerciasar.org.uk/homeanddry