East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service highlight importance of World Drowning Prevention Day

Led by the World Health Organization, the day aims to raise awareness on drowning as a public health issue, reminding people that anyone can drown, but no one should.

Drowning remains a critical global public health concern, claiming the lives of approximately 235,600 individuals annually and drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children aged 5-14 years (statistics from World Health Organization).

In the UK alone, there were 236 accidental drownings reported in 2023, with more dying at inland waters than at the coast, underscoring the urgent need for increased awareness and preventive measures (statistic from National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) Water Incident Database (WAID).

Earlier this year, representatives from ESFRS, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the RNLI produced a film in which Robbie Jones shares his story of losing his dad, Gareth, to the sea in January 2021.

The fire service contacted schools across East Sussex, Brighton & Hove with an offer to visit with Robbie and highlight the film, promoting water safety, and drowning prevention to their students.

Five schools took up the offer and, in June and July, over 2,775 pupils have listened to Robbie’s story and received vital water safety education including practical advice on how to keep safe and what to do in and emergency on, in and near water.

Susan Taylor, Partnership & Engagement Manager said: “Water safety education is vital and, in some instances, could be a child’s only opportunity to learn about the water. At ESFRS, we believe that water safety education should be accessible to all. In an ideal world, every child would learn to swim however, as this is not the case, Robbie’s story is an excellent, impactful, addition to our water safety education offering meaning, while there may be barriers to accessing water, every child can still benefit from water safety education.”

UK NFCC Drowning prevention lead, NWSF Chair and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer, Dawn Whittaker said:

"We are proud to support World Drowning Prevention Day once again this year. By working together with schools and the community, we can significantly reduce water-related accidents and ensure a safer environment for everyone."