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Coastguard officers will be sharing sea safety messages and asking islanders to ‘go blue’ to show their support, while Fort Regent's dome will also be turning blue to mark World Drowning Prevention Day tomorrow.
Jersey Coastguard is responsible for the safety of life at sea within Jersey’s 875 square miles of territorial waters. Most incidents happen within six miles of St Helier, where the highest concentration of vessel activity and beachgoers can be found. During the first half of this year Jersey Coastguard has already responded to 86 incidents, 26 of which involved assisting people out of the water.
RNLI lifeguards – who patrol Greve de Lecq, Plemont, St Brelade and St Ouen - recorded 329 incidents in 2022, which included people in trouble in the water and being caught in rip currents.
Coastguard and VTS Officer, Luke de la Haye, said: “We will all be going blue on Tuesday to mark this important campaign, and we hope as many people as possible will join us. There are many things we can all do to minimise the risk of drowning, and if you are worried about someone who’s in trouble in the water, just call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. We investigate all reports we receive, and you could be making the difference between life and death.”
The global initiative, which is led by the World Health Organisation, focuses on raising awareness of drowning and of low-cost drowning-prevention measures that countries and organisations can use to reduce the risk of drowning:
Train citizens in safe rescue and resuscitation
Enforce safe shipping regulations
Improve flood risk management
Install barriers to control access to water
Provide safe places for pre-school children, away from water
Teach school-age children basic swimming, water safety and rescue skills
