'Go home dry and be safe' - organisations across the region unite in bid to prevent further water tragedies - video Dailymotion

Shropshire Star

On World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25), agencies operating in the county and across the West Mercia region - Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire - have united to back the Home and Dry campaign.  The campaign encourages people to be aware of the dangers of water, and to develop and share educational resources to ensure that water safety is "embedded in people’s minds" from an early age.

Transcript

00:00I can't think I can't even describe you know how how it feels all I know is that I never ever want

00:06another family to have to go through that honestly I swear to you I never want another family to go

00:12through what what we went through in those first days weeks months you know the days were really

00:19dark and and even now you know that you know changes your life forever. As Police and Crime

00:27Commissioner I've been a long-standing supporter of the Home and Dry initiative here in West Mercia

00:35we live in a beautiful part of the world with some beautiful lakes rivers and reservoirs but they

00:41are also a danger and too many people are killed in those beautiful parts of our countryside and that's

00:48why working with partners in the Home and Dry initiative we can make sure that we can change

00:55that sad fact together yeah we we created this home and dry campaign which which we try to push

01:04out to schools and bits and pieces so people can get an awareness of water safety most people are not

01:09aware of the risks and water and especially things like cold water shock even in the spring and summer

01:15on a hot day unfortunately we end up recovering people that have jumped into deep water and never

01:21surfaced again it's a regular occurrence we get zero pay it costs us a fortune as a team to operate

01:29but it also individually costs us quite a lot of money buying our own kit and equipment and things

01:33like that we've got a couple of people families that have had suffered bereavement and they've wanted

01:38to do more so they've become ambassadors for the team we've just completed last weekend our second

01:44annual tom jones football festival at droitwich and that's a fundraiser for the team supported by

01:51vicki and ian to allow us to sort of keep going and keep improving what we do to bring closer to more

01:59families most of the time the public don't even know we're involved all the social media posts on a

02:04recent recovery that we were involved in and a find that we had doesn't even mention our team but we

02:10know we were there the emergency services involved thanked us personally so we're getting thanks from

02:16it but the public doesn't know that we've done that if you're out playing near water or running cycling

02:24walking and please maintain the safe distance also i think if you're going out this summer to enjoy

02:30spaces like this then to go to places with designated bathing areas that will have lifeguards etc in place

02:38the water may look inviting but there are many hidden dangers one of them is cold water shock when

02:43you go into the water make sure you're going slowly and introduce yourself into it because cold water

02:49shock can take over your breathing and can cause you to drown also think about float to live if you're

02:56unable to get to the side put yourself into a big starfish and float and shout for help if you're going

03:03out on the water on paddle boards kayaks canoes and take a mobile phone and make sure that it's in a

03:08waterproof case so you can call emergency services if needs be did you know that most people that

03:15drown in the uk never intended to go into the water if you're out drinking this weekend in shrewsbury

03:22and you're near the river please find alternative routes home make sure you walk home with friends

03:28if you're out in parks and places near lakes maintain a safe distance please do not go on the water if

03:34if you've consumed alcohol

'Go home dry and be safe' - organisations across the region unite in bid to prevent further water tragedies

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