18/05/2023
PUBLIC URGED TO ‘RESPECT THE WATER’ AS LATEST STATISTICS SHOW 226 ACCIDENTAL DROWNINGS IN 2022, WITH MORE DYING AT INLAND WATER THAN AT THE COAST
With 46% of UK accidental drownings in 2022 taking place in the three summer months of June, July and August, the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is reminding people to Respect the Water as the warm weather begins but with water temperatures remaining dangerously cold.
The accidental drownings form part of the total water-related fatalities in the UK – for 2022 the total number of deaths in water was 597, a decrease of 19 from the previous year.
The statistics and figures in the report are from the Water Incident Database (WAID), which is maintained by the NWSF. The key accidental drowning insights are as follows:
- There were 226 accidental fatalities in the UK in 2022; 105 of them during June, July and August.
- Of that 226, 151 of them were in England; 45 in Scotland; 22 in Wales; 8 in Northern Ireland.
- Inland water, such as rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs, and quarries continue to be the leading locations for accidental drowning with 60% of deaths.
- Males continue to over represent with 83% of accidental fatalities.
- Recreational activities accounted for 58% of accidental fatalities.
#RespecttheWater is the partnership campaign run by the NWSF and aims to provide simple life saving advice to help members of the public take personal responsibility for their own and their family’s safety, which a focus this year on knowing how to help other people in trouble.
If you see someone else in trouble in the water this summer, remember Call, Tell, Throw:
- Call 999 – ask for Fire & Rescue if inland or the Coastguard if by the sea.
- Tell the struggling person to try to float on their back.
- Throw them something that floats.
The Forum will also be promoting the #RespectTheWater campaign later in the summer for World Drowning Prevention Day on 25th July.
Dawn Whittaker, NWSF Chair & CEO East Sussex Fire Rescue Service said:
“The extreme heat last summer presented considerable challenges at our coastal and inland waterways as more people entered the water to cool down. With another summer of unprecedented heat ahead, we are promoting the #RespectTheWater campaign to help people stay safe while still enjoying their time in and by the water.
“These devastating numbers are an annual tragic reminder about the importance of raising awareness of water safety and drowning prevention, so we urge the public to understand the dangers and to learn the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency: if you see someone in trouble in the water, the best way you can help is by staying calm, staying on land, and following the 3-step rescue guide – Call, Tell, Throw.
“We have seen increased numbers participating in water sports and water-based activities and
consequently a rise of the number of incidents associated with activities such as Stand-up Paddle boarding and Open Water Swimming. We want people to enjoy the water safely, so we will continue to focus on guidance, education, and awareness for the public.
“We will continue to work together to reduce deaths caused by drowning and water related injuries in the UK, and endeavour to reach our collective goal of halving accidental drownings in the UK by 2026. The global water safety community is onboard with a UN resolution recognising the scale and burden of drowning, calling for urgent international action.”
To view and download the WAID 2022 report visit Annual reports and data | National Water Safety Forum.
For more information about the #RespectTheWater campaign visit https://respectthewater.com/
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07/02/2023
NWSF Coordinating Group member update
Dear colleagues
In 2022 the Forum advertised out to its network to add to the Coordinating Group. The purpose of which was to widen its membership and fill any gaps in knowledge and experience.
Following our call for applications, we are delighted to advise that we have filled the two positions advertised:
Independent
Dan Ryan, Programme Manager, Riverford Organic Farmers
You can read his bio here.
Public Health
Martin Barwood – Leeds Trinity University
You can read his bio here.
Please join us in welcoming Dan and Martin to the Forum, both of whom are looking forward to contributing their experience towards the aims of the Drowning Prevention Strategy.
On a final note, George Rawlinson, former Chair of the NWSF, is now stepping away from the Forum and we would like to thank him for his continued support.
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05/01/2023
NWSF Member survey - results and overview
Introduction
The National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is at the mid-way point of the UK’s Drowning Prevention Strategy and in order to ensure momentum and increased collaboration, the NWSF has been working with Advisory Group Chair’s to develop a NWSF workplan. Alongside this, we asked NWSF members to respond to a short survey which aimed to explore their views and experiences on the NWSF and potential areas for improvement and future sustainability.
This survey was a ‘snapshot’ survey for exploration purposes only. No policy decisions will be made based on these results.
The survey aligned with the creation of the NWSF workplan and Advisory Group discussions.
Methods
An online 16 question survey was sent to all Coordinating Group and Advisory Group members in August 2022. The survey remained open until the end of September 2022.
All responses were analysed using Excel. All responses to open-ended questions were thematically analysed and categorised. Charts and graphs have been used to illustrate the data.
Key results
14 members responded to the survey (16 % response rate).
- All of the respondents to the survey were positive about their satisfaction level of membership to the NWSF.
- Respondents noted that this satisfaction was a result of the hard work and dedication of the Forum, the accessibility of online meetings, regular contact, networking opportunities and well-run meetings. Areas for improvement included the suggestion that the Forum was too much of a ‘closed shop’ and needed to improve its engagement. Other concerns were specific individual organisational barriers around time commitment.
- Some of the key benefits that members noted as being part of the NWSF included: useful guidance documents, knowledge and expertise, network opportunities, up-to date data and insights and the ability of the Forum to be a conduit to push other organisations messaging.
- Areas where members would like to see further benefit include: increased shared resources, recognition of their own organisation on the NWSF website, better engagement and improved cross-branding.
- 21% of respondents were willing to make a financial contribution to the NWSF either as an organisation or an individual. Reasons why 70% would not be willing to do this were due to budgeting demands or preference for direct sponsorship.
- The top four issues which members would like the NWSF to concentrate on include: watersport safety, general awareness raising, misadventure and education.
- Respondents suggested that the ways the NWSF could assist with this include: sharing more content, providing more WAID stats, understanding differences across the UK nations and sharing local practice.
Next steps
The NWSF Communications Advisory Group will take on board the suggestions around awareness raising, cross branding, use of the NWSF website, sharing more content and ways to capture local practice at a national level. This could be achieved for example, through in-depth case studies.
More WAID stats will be available with the release of WAID version 2 in 2023.
The Coordinating Group will further consider how they improve engaging across the whole UK and at local level.
The key topics that were highlighted as key priority areas for members will be pushed out to each of the relevant Advisory Groups.
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