MORE THAN 1,000 people have drowned in Ireland in the past decade – an average of 10 people a month, according to latest figures from Government. 

Junior Transport Minister Hildegarde Naughton today launched a refreshed Safety on the Water website in a bid to raise awareness of drowning and how to prevent it. 

The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI, Water Safety Ireland, Irish Sailing and BIM. 

“Water safety is not just a seasonal consideration - it is an all year round commitment and everybody has a role to play, be it as participants, as supervisors of children or simply as observers who can raise the alert,” Naughton said. 

“I commend the excellent collaboration between the different organisations [...] who have done such wonderful work in promoting safety standards across the marine leisure industry and BIM in their work with the fishing communities”

The theme of the new campaign is ‘prevention’ with tips and advice to stay safe during water based activities. It is also focused on providing and education platform on water safety for a younger audience. 

Naughton spoke about the advice of the Coast Guard and Water Safety Ireland: “That water based inflatable devices present a clear risk to the public. The Coast Guard and the RNLI deal with a large number of inflatable related callouts.

“Please heed their advice and leave them at home. They are not suitable for use at the seaside or at any open waterways.”

The Safety on the Water website is available here.