Water safety during holiday season W hile everyone flocks to the beaches during the holiday season, water safety remains an important aspect in preventing beach fatalities. In giving expression to its mandate of responsible tourism, the Department of Tourism will sponsor the Water Safety Campaign of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
In recognition of this life saving intervention, the Department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSRI. Through this campaign, the NSRI will place pink rescue buoys at selected beaches along the coastline as well as at some inland dams and rivers – particularly those that have been identified as drowning hotspots. The NSRI is run by over 1 000 highlyskilled, unpaid volunteers who are on standby day and night throughout the year, while donations and sponsorships covers their annual running costs. Their goal is to prevent drowning through education, preventative measures and through reactive rescue. According to statistics, approximately 2000 people die from drowning every year in South Africa – that is over five drowning deaths per day. . Sea Rescue
is a reactive service that responds to people in trouble – those who are at risk of death by drowning. They note than even children who can swim, can drown. There is therefore a very real need for public education regarding water safety. NSRI CEO, Dr Cleeve Robertson says: “It’s often the simple things that save lives. In this case, the simple act of placing a pink rescue buoy in proximity to water risk, can make all the difference. There are 36 coastal and five inland rescue bases, a fleet of 96 rescue craft, 32 vehicles and the NRSI has access to a range of helicopters. They also enjoy a good working relationship with other emergency services and believe that it is through team effort that lives are saved. Over 750 pink rescue buoys have been installed and 52 lives saved since 2017. The NSRI has also converted containers into professional lifeguard towers. These portable towers can be moved to sites where drowning is more likely and can be moved off site out of season. The Water Safety Campaign for the festive season will run during the month of December 2020 as part of the extended of the Tourism Month programme.
December 2020
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