During the recent heatwaves, Worcestershire County council public health collaborated with Water Rescue charities to keep people safe. Alongside producing comprehensive public messaging on the dangers of open water swimming and cold-water shock, the council worked with the Severn Area Rescue Association and South Worcestershire Flood Rescue to conduct water patrols in key areas.
These patrols, performed by highly trained volunteers on land and in the water, allowed people to be given advice on the dangers of the water, safe locations to conduct swimming, and ensured that a rapid response was in place to reach anyone who may get into danger. Deploying volunteers proactively meant that there was reduced impact on the emergency services and that people could receive advice from trusted volunteers.
Over the course of the two evenings where teams were deployed, over 300 individuals were spoken to across the county.
Adrian Mayhew from South Worcestershire said: ‘This was a great collaboration between stakeholders in providing safety advice and assurances to the public. With recent science research papers providing evidence of increased risk when hot weather arrives, drowning increases at least fourfold. This preventative action demonstrated the level of commitment by the council to reduce the likelihood when these extreme weather events occur.’
Ian Lofthouse from SARA said: ‘It’s always great to interact positively with the community and combining prevention with enhanced reaction time during periods of increased risk makes absolute sense.’
Nathan Hazlehurst from Worcestershire County Council’s emergency planning team added: ‘It was fantastic to be able to collaborate with two of our key voluntary bodies to keep people safe during the hot weather. The dedication of the volunteers to go out and help others cannot be understated, and we are proud to be one of the first inland areas to put such resources in place.’
For more information on keeping safe in hot weather please visit: Summer heatwave advice | Worcestershire County Council