A GROUP of 16 young firefighters from Droitwich have been helping pilot the Water Smart Award launched by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) whilst on summer camp on the River Wye.
This scheme with Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service aims to improve awareness of the dangers of open water among children and young people.
The training was one of a number of activities during a week of outdoor pursuits at the YFA’s summer camp.
Others included kayaking, mountain biking, climbing and ‘escape and evasion’.
Chief Fire Officer Nathan Travis, who attended the training session, said: “Our young firefighters are aged 13 to 17 and so are perfectly placed to pilot the new Water Smart Award.
“This training programme gets these young people to consider not only their risks while having fun in water, but also to identify possible risks to others around them.
“Working with RLSS UK and its Water Smart Award perfectly supports our vision of saving more lives, via intervention and prevention activities within our communities.”
In the past five years, 24 people drowned in open water accidents in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, yet nobody has drowned accidentally in the two counties so far in 2018, which RLSS UK aims to maintain.
