Raising awareness of swimming danger

Drowning is the third most common cause of death amongst young people aged between 10 and 18, and over recent year’s firefighters and community safety staff have been delivering water safety awareness sessions across the county in a bid to reduce the amount of casualties.

During the week we will be visiting several schools 
in the area targeting teens with safety messages around the effects of swimming in cold water.

Firefighter Paul Robson from Lancaster who will be one of the crews going into the schools said: “Hopefully by working with and engaging young people in water safety awareness and warning them of what can happen when you swim in cold open water sites we can prevent tragedies in the future.”

There are also several demonstrations planned at sites across Lancaster and Morecambe including; Williamsons park pond on Friday, June 5, at 2pm, Crook o Lune picnic site on Saturday June 6 at 2pm and at Morecambe promenade. Lancaster Fire Station is a specialist water rescue station and so if you want to catch them in action you can come along and chat a bit more about water safety and the equipment used for water rescues.

To support the community engagement activities going on this week, firefighters from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service will be putting up safety messages around some of Lancaster and Morecambe’s water sites.

They will be asking the public to be vigilant and take note of their messages if they are going to be out and about around water.