Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service are leading on the initiative. They drew up a short plan of action to raise awareness of the dangers and brought it to the Community Safety Partnership's Communications Group. In the first year the Fire Service added water safety to their educational talks that they already give in schools across the Borough. They teamed up with Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust (WLCT) to promote water safety and the many activities the Trust organise each summer that allow young people in the borough to enjoy water sports and swimming in safety. Letters went out to schools across the Borough to urge headteachers to raise awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water with their pupils.
Water safety action plan 2008
For the 2008 action plan the group planned a bigger and better campaign. Letters and a leaflet are planned to go out to parents via schools urging them to make sure their children are aware of the dangers and that they know where their children are. The campaign has included:
Water safety signs
60 double sided metal signs have been put up near water courses that are popular with young people. One side shows the water safety message, to be displayed during the warmer months, the other side shows an ice safety message for display during winter.
Water safety posters
The posters show the same image as the metal signs. Posters have been distributed to schools, libraries, and leisure centres across the Borough. They have also been distributed to NHS hospitals and premises.
Education in schools
The Fire Service deliver regular presentations to key stage 1 and 2 pupils in schools across the Borough to warn children of the dangers of fire and road accidents. They have now added water safety to their presentations.
In addition they also deliver safety presentations to children in year 7 and 8 at appropriate times of the year.
Promoting the Lifestyle scheme
We will be helping to promote the Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust's (WLCT) Lifestyle scheme by including details of the scheme in the Community Safety Partnership newsletter, on the Safer Wigan website, and in press releases issued. The scheme allows children under 16 to swim in any of the Council's swimming baths free of charge. Membership to the scheme costs just £1.50 for a full year. To join the scheme pop into any Council Leisure centre.
For more information about the Lifestyle scheme visit Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust Lifestyle scheme (external website)
For information about other activities for young people visit the Linc at Linc online (external website)
Publicity campaign
As well as the posters and signs the Community Safety Partnership will be raising awareness of the dangers of swimming in open water, promoting the lifestyle scheme and alternative activities with press releases and a radio advertisment campaign.
Community Safety Partnership newsletter
The water safety action plan featured in the Spring and summer editions of our newsletter.
Visit the newsletter page in the news section to read the latest issue.
The 2007 campaign was featured in edition 27 (July - August 07).
Radio advert transcript
"Even on a hot summer's day swimming in open water can be deadly cold. The cold water slows you down, your heart has to work harder, your muscles begin to slow. Your energy begins to fade and it doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are... eventually it will paralyse you and you'll drown."
"Remember swimming in open water like canals, quarries and lakes isn't cool, it's cold. Freezing cold and cold water kills. Stay safe, stay out of the water"
Many people think that the dangers are debris in the water, swimming in deep water, and only poor swimmers are at risk. But how right are they and how well do you know the dangers around swimming in open water? Even strong swimmers can find themselves in difficulty; below are the three main dangers associated with swimming in open water such as canals and ponds.
Thermal Shock
In this country the water temperature never increases enough to be safe to swim in. Even if the surface of the water seems to be warm, the temperature just below the surface can be freezing and cold enough to induce thermal shock. Thermal shock causes the body to slow down until swimming is made impossible, it can set in within minutes and prevent even strong swimmers from getting to safety. Children are much more susceptible to this phenomenon than adults. Thermal shock is a silent killer, you may not realise you're in danger until it's too late.
Sub Surface Hazards
The canals and ponds around the Borough are littered with debris of all kinds ranging from shopping trolleys to motor vehicles. Swimming around such hazards is fraught with danger; swimmers can get caught on these items, become trapped, and be prevented from reaching the surface and safety.
Depth
The depth of water that a person can drown in is negligible, even shallow water can pose a threat if it has a strong current, such as around canal locks. If you loose your footing around water it's possible to be knocked unconscious and fall into the water. Water may also be much deeper than it seems; some ponds, especially quarries or pits that have filled with water over time, can be just a few feet deep at the edge but can be very deep in the centre. And unlike natual water courses the change in depth can happen very quickly as the quarry and pit sides tend to be vertical drops. Canals also have vertical sides and can be very deep, especially around locks. The sides are lined with clay or metal sheeting which do not provide footholds to be able to climb out easily. The only way to get out may be to swim to the nearest lock - which could be several miles away in either direction.
For more information about the risks and what to do in an emergency visit the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service's website at http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/stay-safe/springsummer-safety/water-safety.aspx
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