NSRI festive season safety alert and tips
Sea Rescue is appealing to parents to ensure children who are swimming, are watched at all times
THE National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) urges South Africans to be careful in and around inland waterways and rivers this week and festive season.
This comes over and above the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DSW) warning to people not to use rivers and dams as alternatives to beaches.
‘The concern is that where beaches have been closed temporarily by Covid-19 restrictions, more people may go swimming at inland waterways, rivers lakes and dams, and at swimming pools,’ said NSRI spokesperson, Craig Lambinon.
ALSO READ: Do not use rivers and dams as alternatives to beaches
Sea Rescue is appealing to the public to be cautious and for parents to ensure children have responsible adult supervision at all times, in and around water.
‘The responsible adult should not be distracted while overseeing children.
‘Watching children when they are swimming is the best way to prevent a drowning as a person who is drowning is unable to call for help.
‘This means that if you are not watching children while they are swimming, you will not know that they are in difficulty and may be drowning,’ said Lambinon.
The NSRI has developed a swimming monitor ID badge which is perfect for keeping track of exactly who is overseeing the children swimming, and at what times.
This can be printed out, attached to a lanyard or piece of string and the designated swimming monitor wears it around their neck.
‘The person who is on duty should do nothing other than watch the children while they are in the water.
‘The tag should be passed on to another responsible adult after half an hour, to ensure there is no lapse in concentration from the person who is on duty.’
The swimming monitor tag has emergency numbers printed on the front, and on the reverse side is a series of infographics on how to carry out bystander CPR.
To download the swimming monitor ID tag, go to www.nsri.org.za or to the NSRI Facebook page.
‘Where beaches are open, we appeal to bathers to go to beaches that are protected by lifeguards and only swim where and when lifeguards are on duty, and in between their flags.’
Lambinon said all boaters, paddlers and sailboarders should download and use NSRI’s free RSA SafeTrax cell phone app, available on the NSRI web page, and have a safety plan in place for emergencies.
‘When your craft is under way, everyone on board must be wearing properly fitting and fastened lifejackets.
‘Safety should be the full focus of all on board.’
NSRI emergency numbers – 112 and 087 0949774 should be programmed in to cell phones.
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