Beach rescuers kick off from summer season with good advice: « The sea is not a swimming pool, always be careful » (Bredene)
Almost summer vacation and that means a lot of beach visits and enjoying the (hopefully) beautiful weather. But if we can believe the predictions, it will be a warm summer. The beach rescuers are daily responsible for the safety of the many sun lovers on the beach.
Although the tasks of the beach rescuers are no longer limited to supervising the swimmers and water sports enthusiasts. The beach rescuers have an important task to perform in terms of prevention and awareness. « In the statistics, we note that a warm and sunny summer is often accompanied by serious incidents and a large number of losses of losses of loss, » says the intercommunal coasting service West Flanders (IKWV).
« The sea is not a swimming pool. It is very important that people are aware of the specific risks that swimming in the sea can entail »
Wim Demeester
Chairman of IKWV
The fear that the beach rescuers this summer – after all, a warm and dry summer will be predicted – will have to intervene more often to help people in need is great. In addition, the IKWV expects an increase in lost children. « It will be a challenge to properly inform the beach visitors before they come to the coast, so that we can avoid accidents and incidents as much as possible, » it sounds.
The opening was accompanied by a rescue demonstration. – © Jeffrey Roos
In recent years, the rescuers found that in particular the tourists are often not aware of the many challenges and dangers of the sea. The tides, sandbanks, the flow and the waves can surprise the bathers and put them into trouble. This has been apparent from the statistics for years. For example, a 16-year-old boy in Ostend drowned on 13 August last year, his two friends could be saved. One of the rescued boys stated that they got into trouble after they were taken by a large wave.
Read too. Teen drowns in Ostend: « This phenomenon is unknown to many people »
« The sea is not a swimming pool, » says chairman of IKWV Wim Demeester. « It is very important that people are aware of the specific risks that swimming can bring in the sea. Always be careful and follow the advice of the rescuers, so that you can enjoy the summer of summer. »
The official opening of the bathing season was accompanied by a rescue demonstration in which the NH-90 helicopter also flew over. The new wristbands were immediately presented in the presence of Bumba. « This year again 400,000 wristbands will be available for free at the Savior items, auxiliary items and tourism agencies, » says Dina Losifidis of partner AXA. “The wristbands make it possible to contact the parents of a lost child quickly.
The new wristbands were presented in the presence of Bumba. – © Jeffrey Roos
« Not only puts your children on a wristband, but also make practical agreements, » says general manager at IKWV An Beun. « Agree on a recognition point, make your children familiar with the rescuers by the sea and accompany them when they go swimming in the sea or play further on the beach. We want to make people aware of the risks that beach and sea bring. The sea can be very insidious. People who do not come here often, underestimate the sea. The coast residents are all the more familiar with the dangers.”
