Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is vowing to reduce the number of open water drownings in Greater Manchester after 66 deaths in the past five years.
The service is bringing together key organisations and campaigners for the first ever at the Greater Manchester Water Safety Summit this Friday, aiming to create a new water safety partnership and a new strategy for the city region.
Bev Hughes, deputy mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said: “Sadly, our firefighters and police have to attend incidents too often where someone has drowned. In fact, more people have died from drowning than in fires last year.
“We can and should do more to learn from what has happened and put in place measures that will prevent people from suffering a terrible accident in open water.
“I hope the work of this new partnership will lead to fewer people dying in our canals, rivers and open water.”
Figures have revealed that last year, 15 people in the city-region died by drowning, while 11 died as a result of fires.
GMFRS’s Head of Prevention, Billy Fenwick, said: “There are measures we can take, working together in a partnership, that will make a difference.
“It’s important to work together at a Greater Manchester level so we can learn from each other what works. We believe this is the first time a water safety partnership has been created over such a large area.
“This summit is the start of our work to identify the most effective measures we can take.”
Safety measures that have already been implemented in Greater Manchester by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents include:
- Better lighting along canal towpaths and entrances
- Barriers fitted at towpath entry points and over lock crossings to prevent people accidentally falling in
- Signposting people to safe crossing points
- Supporting developers to provide safe canal-side public areas when designing new homes, restaurants and bars
- Ensuring many more rescue throwlines are available and that people who work in night-time venues are trained to use them
- Working with universities to help students be safe on nights out
Water safety campaigner Nick Pope, whose son Charlie died aged 19 in a central Manchester canal in March 2018, will urge people at the summit on Friday to do more to prevent a repeat of the tragedies suffered by his family and others.
Pope said: “After Charlie’s death I wanted to raise awareness of the dangers that exist in areas where there are bars, restaurants and alcohol in the same place as open water.
“There are measures that can be taken to keep people safer. Manchester has done good work, for example with lighting, barriers and training of bar staff.
“I would urge a wide set of organisations to get involved and agree to work together on a plan because they will all benefit if our cities and towns are safer.”
The summit will be attended by local councils, Greater Manchester Police, safety organisations, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and the Royal Lifesaving Society.
