Water Hazards

With the promise of warm and sunny weather over the next few weeks as we enjoy summertime Cheshire Fire and Rescue service remind us of some very important hints and tips to keep us all safe as we enjoy the prospect of enjoying the outdoors.

It is reported that in 2015, 321 people drowned, and that of those 49% were taking part in everyday activities near water and had no intention of going in – 25% of the people who died were running or walking near water. 22% were aged between 15-29 and around 1/3 of them were found to have alcohol in their systems.

The top tips for staying safe near water are:

• stick to proper pathways, and avoid being near water in the dark;
• don't go near water if levels are high, and look out for slip / trip hazards
• for students and young adult drinkers (and to be honest these often apply away from water too) always have a fully charged mobile phone, and make sure you store a taxi number in it. Keep some emergency money at home to be able to pay the taxi driver
• don't let a night out end in tragedy – take a safe route home away from water (even if the path is lit there can still be slip hazards)
• stay with your group and don't wander off – keep an eye on friends and make sure that you help them home
• for dog walkers – NEVER enter the water to try and save a dog – the dog usually manages to scramble out. Don't lean into the water to try to lift your dog out – you might topple in. If possible keep your dog on a lead to stop if jumping into unsafe areas – wet riverbanks have steep edges and jagged rocks that can be slip hazards

Stay safe – stay out