Calls for water safety to be in school curriculum after Seaton Carew deaths
Two men died over the weekend after getting into difficulty rescuing children from the sea
A water safety campaigner's continuing her mission to raise awareness about the dangers of water following the tragic incident near Hartlepool.
It's after the deaths of two men in Seaton Carew over the weekend who got into difficulty rescuing children from the sea.
Jess Coles started her water safety campaigning in 2021 after her cousin, 14 year-old Matty Sherrington, died after being caught in a rip current in Hartlepool.
She said: "It's awful news. My heart sank. It's not nice at all to be in that situation, especially for the families. It made me feel physically sick when I heard the news.
"This year I think I got into me own head a little bit and I thought, 'what's the point? No one seems to care. No one seems to listen or read the advice that I share.' But after the post I've shared, the response I got was amazing. Everyone was commenting saying, 'no, absolutely keep sharing.' It's vital. So many people have told their children, their family, their friends.
"I don't feel like enough is done to share water safety advice. I mean, it could be on adverts. It definitely should be taught more in schools. There's water safety lessons in my children's school, but it's only when it's coming up to the holidays.
"I think it should be part of the national curriculum where it should be taught as an actual lesson on a weekly basis, not just when it's coming up to the school holidays.
"Even when people think you're on a lifeguarded beach and there's flags and stuff up to show you where to swim, where not to swim, I still don't think that's safe. I think any open water anywhere is really unsafe and I think people just think just because there's flags up you're going to be safe or just because there's a lifeguard there you're going to be safe, you're not.
"Having lifeguards all year round would be beneficial. If people just stick to, 'oh, it's sunny outside, so we need lifeguards', I don't personally think that that's enough help. I think lifeguards should be there near enough every single day, because people don't just go to the beach just when it's sunny, they go all year round, so they could become in danger at any point."
Water safety advice
The RNLI saysthere are two simple skills you should know that could save a life:
- If you find yourself in difficulty in the water, float to increase your chances of survival.
- If you see someone else in trouble in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
Float to Live
- Tilt your head back, ears submerged.
- Relax and try to breathe normally.
- Move your hands to help you stay afloat.
- It's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently.
- Spread your arms and legs to improve stability.
Cold water
Cold water shock is triggered in water temperatures lower than 15⁰C. The average temperature of UK and Irish waters is 12⁰C. So even in the summer, the water temperature is cold enough to cause cold water shock, which can steal the air from your lungs and leave you helpless in seconds.
You can find more water safety advice on the RNLI website.