FIRE service bosses hope “the message has got through” to young people about the dangers of cold water after several tragedies in recent years.
There have been numerous high profile incidents in West Yorkshire in recent years that have seen young people lose their life after jumping in reservoirs and rivers.
But at a meeting of West Yorkshire Fire Authority on Friday, Councillors from across West Yorkshire were told that there has been no water rescue incidents involving young people since Spring – hinting that recent safety campaigns might have had their desired effect.
Fire chiefs detailed some of the incidents they had been called to – including a man who fell asleep on a riverbank and rolled into the river and an elderly person who lost control of their mobility scooter and ended up in the water.
The Fire Authority’s Community Safety Committee were given an update on incidents the service has been called out to in recent months at Friday’s meeting.
Area Commander Scott Donegan told the committee that since April the service had made 18 water rescues.
He said: “In recent years we’ve seen a number of young people dying in our canals, rivers and reservoirs.
“Thankfully that is not what we are seeing this year so far.”
He went on to list some of the incidents that have led to the service becoming involved in water rescues.
He said: “One incident was a man who fell asleep on a riverbank and fell into the river. Another was a dog walker who slipped and fell into the water. One was an elderly person who lost control of their mobility scooter and drove into the water.
“One incident was a narrow boat owner who fell into the water trying to reach the lock.
“What we haven’t seen is young people jumping into water. Hopefully that is due to the work we’ve been doing in recent years. It seems like that message is hitting home.
“I know schools close next week, so we’ll aim to have a strong presence on the waterways.”
He was asked whether the service’s water rescue team was adequately resourced financially.
John Roberts, Chief Fire Officer, told members that water rescue was not a statutory service for the Fire Service, but added: “We are not funded for it, but we have committed resources to it. We do it because we feel it is the right thing to do.”
West Yorkshire Fire Service runs water safety campaigns in the run up to Summer, and at a meeting earlier this year members were told of schemes in Bradford where hundreds of young people have been taken to a pool and taught about the dangers of jumping into cold water.
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