Open water and fire safety advice for half term

Community fire safety officers in the borough are urging all parents, grandparents and carers with a responsibility for children to give them a stark warning about the dangers of playing or swimming in open water or experimenting with fire.

As half term approaches and hopefully brings with it some warmer weather, firefighters grow increasingly concerned for the welfare of children and young people who find the borough’s many ponds, lakes and reservoirs as attracting places to play and socialise.

Fortunately, Rochdale borough benefits from one of only two specialist Water Incident Units in the county, located at Heywood Fire Station, where a dedicated team works tirelessly to saves lives and prevent many water incidents turning into tragedies.

Jerry Cragg, Station Commander for Heywood, pleads: “Water in our ponds, lakes and reservoirs is far too cold to swim in, I know it’s tempting for people to take a swim when the weather is hot, but the coldness of the water will render even the very strongest of swimmers incapable and you will not be able rescue yourself if you get into difficulties. We know that accidents happen, but swimming in our open waters is risk not worth taking - it can kill”.

This warning follows the tragic death of a thirteen year old boy at Water Grove Reservoir in Rochdale last year. The advice to guardians is simple - take your children to the local swimming pool for a safe and supervised dip.

The warmer weather also means that fire crews get called out to more grass and rubbish fires, the majority of which are caused deliberately by young people. During the Easter break there were twice as many fires and firefighters are hoping that this will not be the same experience this half term.

Glyn O’Reilly Fire Service Liaison Officer for Rochdale Borough, said: “During school holidays and especially in the summer months we suffer because of fire fascinators – these are children and young people who start deliberate fires. But whilst fire crews are tied up dealing with unnecessary nuisance fires, they are not available to attend life saving emergencies.

“We would ask that if you are responsible for children please make sure that they are aware of the dangers of experimenting with fires and point out to them that arson is a serious criminal offence.”

To find out what activities are available for children and young people in your area visit: www.rochdale.gov.uk/whereitsat