RoSPA is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a registered charity established over 80 years ago and aims to campaign for change, influence opinion, contribute to debate, educate and inform - for the good of all.

663 deaths due to fire 8600 persons rescued from fire 569 drownings ? Persons rescued from water* 375 inland drownings 248 rivers, streams etc Most at risk are males aged 15 - 35 and able to swim

Drowning is a final and deadly condition. There is little chance for those that get into difficulties in water, especially water that is deep, fast flowing and cold.

Most of those who cannot swim will drown in a few seconds, together with, sadly those that can swim who were compelled to attempt often ill-conceived rescue attempts, the rescuer who became a victim.

    Drowning Trends in Inland Waters (PDF 22 kb)

The number of accidental drownings in the UK is falling:

1999 569 2000 448 (foot and mouth epidemic) 2001 430 2002 429

21 July 2006

The Wrexham Evening Leader recently featured a news article about a man who had been diving into a local river and broken his neck. He was rescued when passers-by saw his unconscious body in the river.

Select the following link to read the full story on the Wrexham Evening Leader website

 Young pair hailed as heroes after rescuing man from river

The majority of drowning victims are males aged between 15 and 45, with a monthly peak in August when 63 people drowned.

Drowning is the third most common cause of accidental death among the under 16s. Young people who drown are often victims of their own misjudgement of their swimming ability. They may view a river or lake as a tempting means of cooling off in a hot spell but fail to appreciate the harmful effects that the cold water can have on their stamina and strength.

In order to counter the dangers personnel working near, on or in water may be exposed to SF&RS undertook an extensive review of it's operating procedures.

Water Safety Awareness Campaign

  Be Safe Around Water - Don't Drink and Drown

Bridgnorth District Community Safety Partnership in association with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

	RoSPA   www.rospa.com
		2001 UK Drowning statistics (PDF 126 kb)
		2002 UK Drowning statistics (PDF 119 kb)

* The figures for persons rescued from water is always an unknown quantity as once a person is rescued they often return home and are not counted.