With the hot weather looking set to continue for the coming days, residents are being urged to stay fire and water safe while enjoying the sunshine.
Many people may be looking to dust off the BBQ as well as lighting bonfires or firepits. As much as these can be enjoyable, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service wants to ensure residents are aware of the risks and keep themselves and their families safe.
Also, with GCSE exams finishing and young people looking to celebrate, the Service is urging parents to remind young people of the risks of swimming in open water. The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS) is also helping to highlight this with its Drowning Prevention Week campaign.
Group Commander James Ball, Head of Community Fire Safety at the Service, said: “We know everyone will be wanting to make the most of the hot weather, especially as it seems to be a rarity. People can do this safely just by thinking beforehand and following a few of our fire safety tips.
“Having a BBQ is a great way to get together with family and friends, but they can easily lead to a fire if people don’t follow some basic safety tips. Things like keeping the area supervised and lighting the BBQ away from fencing, buildings and garden furniture, keeping a bucket of water close by, and only disposing of the charcoal ashes once completely cooled.
“Ideally, we would advise residents to avoid lighting bonfires and garden fires. They can quickly get out of hand and spread to nearby buildings, fences and vegetation, which can cause significant damage and put people at risk, particularly as everything is so dry at the moment as we’ve had little rain. We would always recommend using the local waste collection service or visiting local recycling centres instead for garden waste.”
With a number of tragic incidents already seen across the country involving people getting into difficulty in water, including the very sad incident in April where a teenager lost his life in Farcet after entering the lake, the Service is highlighting the risk, as part of Drowning Prevention Week, to parents to remind their children about entering open water.
James added: “With GCSE exams finishing this week it can be very tempting for young people to want to celebrate and head to areas with open water. It is however really important for parents to remind their children of all ages of the dangers of entering the water.
“As much as it can look very tempting to go for a swim in a river, lake or other areas of open water like quarries, even if the weather is warm, the water can be much colder than expected. This can send the body into cold water shock, which impacts a person’s ability to move.
“It’s also really important to remember that open water can be deeper than expected, with unseen hazards below the surface. Things like rubbish, shopping trolleys and rubble can be hidden beneath the murky water that can easily trap or injure someone. The water may also look calm on the surface, but there may still be strong undercurrents, especially near locks, that could pull even the strongest swimmer under. It is certainly safer to consider visiting one of the many public swimming pools or lidos located around the county.”
Below are some useful safety tips to consider:
- Dispose of garden waste using either a local waste pick up service, or take it to a local recycling centre. Do not light a bonfire!
- Ensure cigarettes are completely out
- Do not leave glass bottles lying on the ground – the sun’s rays reflect through the glass and can start a fire
- Move any mirrors away from windowsills.
If you are planning to have a BBQ:
- Use barbeques on a hard, flat surface away from grass, shrubs or fencing
- Put disposable barbeques on bricks, do not place directly on grass.
- Only dispose of the ashes when completely cool.
If you do go swimming in open water
- If you get into difficulty in water, you should “Float to Live”, by leaning back, using your arms and legs to stay afloat, and try and control your breathing. Once calm, either call for help or try and swim to safety.
- Try and go swimming with someone else, so you can assist each other or call for help if you do get into difficulty. If you see someone else in trouble near water, call for help immediately by dialling 999. Never try and carry out a rescue yourself, you could put yourself in danger too. You can try and find something to throw to them to use as a float or to pull them in if they are near to the edge and it’s safe to do so.
- A really useful tip to help our Control operators and crews to pinpoint your location is giving us a what3words reference. This is easy to do by downloading the app before heading out and encouraging everyone in your group to do the same, making a note of where you’re swimming. The app is free and available to download on any mobile device.
