QR codes on life buoy cases pinpoint location in a water emergency
RBWM’s Community Wardens have launched a new water safety initiative that could save precious minutes for emergency responders if someone gets into trouble in open water.
The wardens have created unique QR codes which are being placed in the life buoy casings alongside the River Thames and around some lakes (with landowner permission).
The codes contain pinpoint information to make it easier for services to find the location in an emergency. They also make it easier to report any missing or vandalised equipment.
Wardens have also been out checking lifebuoys along the Thames and at private lakes to ensure they’re ready to save a life if needed. Watch the video.
Water safety at the beach
We live in a landlocked local authority but be water aware when you go away on holiday in the UK or abroad during your summer holidays.
Flags are placed on beaches where the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, or RNLI, lifeguards patrol the beach.
The flags indicate whether it is safe to go into the water and where the lifeguards are monitoring people in the water.
The advice is to swim at a beach with a lifeguard and between the red and yellow flags as it is an area which is being constantly monitored.
Other tips include not swimming alone, telling someone else where you are going and when you’ll be back, and checking the weather and tides.
Inflatables can also be dangerous, particularly for children, who can be taken out to sea by currents.
Rip tides
Rips are strong currents running out to sea, which can quickly drag people away from the shallows of the shoreline and out to deeper water.
Rips are especially powerful in larger surf, but they are also found around river mouths, estuaries, and near man-made structures like piers and groynes.
The RNLI advises:
Don’t try to swim against it or you’ll get exhausted
If you can stand, wade don’t swim
If you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore
Always raise your hand and shout for help.
More information about rip tides is available on the RNLI website.
