.
A still from the video.
BANNA Rescue are urging people to stay safe in or around the water with a new video (see below).
As the school holidays descend upon us, the award winning rescue service is warning of the potential dangers in the sea with the video made by local filmmakers.
“By the end of the week over half a million children will be on summer holidays” explained Banna Rescue Chairman Thomas Ward.
“Children are naturally curious about water and unfortunately can get caught out very quickly. It is important that the public look out for one another and ring 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard if they think someone is in trouble.
Continued below…
.
“Without doubt we are kept on our toes during the Summer as tourists and locals alike flock to Kerry’s best beach (Tripadvisor 2019) to take part in water-sports, bask in the glorious weather, or simply to cool down”, continued Thomas.
“In tandem with our emergency function, our volunteer crews conduct extra beach patrols during busy periods, which are crucial as they can head off trouble before it happens.”
To drive this message home local film producers, James and Catherine McCarthy, teamed up with Banna Rescue to create a promotional piece on water safety.
The video contains safety advice from the Irish Coastguard Helicopter crew, Rescue 115; highlighting the importance of calling the Coastguard immediately if you see someone in trouble and a simulated rescue involving Banna Rescue.
On average 133 people die from drowning in Ireland every year. In 2018 during a prolonged spell of fine weather 10 people drowned accidentally in a 15 day period.
There are agencies, organisations and volunteers around the country working to reduce these figures. One such unit is Banna Rescue are part of the Community Rescue Boats Ireland, a group of independent rescue boats administered by Water Safety Ireland.
Banna Rescue is also part of the 999 / 112 Emergency Service under the Irish Coast Guard; volunteer crews are available 24/7 365 days of the year. See their website here
