RNLI appeal for waterside volunteers to help save lives on Broads waterways

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the charity that saves lives at sea, is running a pilot scheme which will supply potentially lifesaving “throw bags” to pubs at key locations, and train staff to use them when people get into distress in the water.

The ‘Waterside Community Responder’ scheme comes in the wake of official statistics that show in the last three years, 20 people drowned around the Broads.

Ben Mitchell, Community Safety Partner for the RNLI, said: This scheme is very straightforward – we’re offering to provide free training in how to use these throw bags, to the people and businesses that are most likely to witness people getting into difficulty in the water.

A throw bag is essentially a 20m floating line that when packed its own bag is weighted enough to be thrown to a casualty, it can then be used to pull the casualty to safety by the person throwing the bag.

Ben, who will deliver the training along with fellow members of Happisburgh RNLI Community Safety Team, continued: ‘Research shows that a significant proportion of drownings involve people visiting pubs and bars near water and then getting into distress. It could be someone taking a seemingly innocent swim and suffering cold water shock, or it could be through an accident where someone never intended to be in the water.’

‘Staff at these places will be our advocates in waterside environments, and are the ones most likely to be there at times where risk is most prevalent. The idea behind training staff or volunteers at pubs bars and restaurants is they will be able to encourage good behaviours in that environment by giving the public knowledge and advice, and they will ultimately know what to do if someone did enter the water.’

The initiative coincides with the RNLI’s annual national drowning prevention campaign, Respect the Water. The campaign aims to encourage people to make themselves aware of the potential dangers of the water and take steps wherever possible to minimise the risk of being on or near water. It is part of the charity efforts towards the goal of halving the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

Some basic safety information the RNLI is urging people to remember is:

• People who fall into cold water follow the same instinct, to gasp, thrash about and swim hard. But this is the worst thing to do – it increases chances of water entering your lungs and increases strain on your heart.
• If you fall into cold water, fight your instinct to swim hard. Instead just float until you can regain control of your breathing before then trying to swim to safety or call for help. You’ll have a far better chance of staying alive.
• If you see someone else in trouble in the water, fight the instinct to go in yourself. Call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Broads Authority Chief Executive, John Packman welcomed the Waterside Community Responder initiative when he said: ‘We want everyone to enjoy the waterways within our National Park safely. Thankfully the vast majority of the 8 million visits to the Broads every year pass without incident but any move that can help minimise the risk of tragic accidents has to be a good thing.’

The RNLI is now appealing for managers and staff at pubs, bars and restaurants to come forward and register their interest for training. More information can be found by visiting this website https://rnli.org/pages/throw-bag-training

RNLI media contacts

• Happisburgh RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Philip Smith, on 07766 007936, Text only: 07917 677964, [email protected]
• Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]
• Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207416, 07786 668825, [email protected]
• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.