ACT Sport and Recreation has joined with the Royal Life Saving Society to launch a ‘Stay Safe Summer’ water safety campaign ahead of the busy summer season.
Minister for Sport and Recreation, Yvette Berry said it was important Canberrans were aware that rivers, creeks and streams could be just as hazardous as coastal waterways.
“Canberra has some great spots that are easy to access, making them particularly popular during the summer months,” Ms Berry said.
“Two people drowned in the ACT in the past year, both in inland waterways,” she said.
“That’s two people too many.”
She said that as the weather heated up and people headed to aquatic centres, pools, lakes and other swimming spots, ensuring everyone in the family knows how to swim and had the knowledge and skills to handle emergencies around water was “critical”.
Chief Executive of Royal Life Saving ACT, Cherry Bailey said the organisation’s biggest concern heading into summer was a lack of knowledge around water safety.
“We encourage people to know their abilities and limitations and to investigate swimming and first aid programs to build their skills,” Ms Bailey said.
“If unsure, it’s best to visit the well-supervised ACT Public Pools to cool off, rather than unpatrolled waterways.”
Ms Berry also announced a pilot program to see Permanent Emergency Response Beacons trialled at two sites in Canberra to “help provide a technological solution to incident response”.
