Sligo Water Safety hope that courses go ahead in July
SLIGO Water Safety are hoping that it can run Water Safety Week this year at Enniscrone beach and Aughris Pier.
This annual event, unfortunately cancelled last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, would usually have over 100 participants.
While details of the exact dates and number of participants permitted have yet to be confirmed, Sligo Water Safety are hopeful that July will see these important courses go ahead at the west Sligo coastal venues.
Water Safety Week, a course provided by Water Safety Ireland, caters for children (aged four upwards) and provides two daily classes. Each class is of 30 minutes’ duration.
There are a range of swimming, safety and rescue award courses which take place during the week. Children do not need to be able to swim to take part. Participants are taught personal safety around water at all levels.
The classes take place from Sunday to Thursday. On the Friday, participants are assessed by a Water Safety Ireland examiner. On successful completion of the Water Safety Week, the children will receive a certificate for a level on either the swim, safety or rescue awards.
Many of the instructors who volunteer during the week are past participants of the Water Safety Week. They have completed all the swim, safety and rescue awards and progressed to being an instructor.
The instructors have each completed a course which is assessed by Water Safety Ireland. They have also completed a Cardiac First Response Community Level course.
The instructors and organisers are all volunteers and their time and energy is valued by the community in which they run the Water Safety Weeks. Furthermore, the support of the local communities in Aughris and Enniscrone is much appreciated annually.
There are four levels related to the
LEARNING LESSONS: Water Safety Week is an initiative from Water Safety Ireland to teach children about safety in the water and good habits that will prove beneficial.
safety awards. These awards introduce participants to rescue and safety skills such as treading water, signalling, rescue strokes, non-contact swimming rescues and using visual and voice contact. There is no age prerequisite for the safety award levels. Nevertheless, it is only when safety four has been awarded can one move onto the rescue award levels.
There are also four levels for the rescue awards. There is a minimum age requirement for the various rescue award levels. These levels include basic lifesaving skills such as front surface approach, underwater approach, cross chest carry, hair carry and head carry.
As participants progress through the levels, they must complete timed swims in clothes and more advanced lifesaving skills. They are introduced to spinal injury management scenarios and various water accident scenarios.
In addition, every two years, all swimmers from safety four and above must complete a survival exam. The aim of this award is to emphasise the importance of training in self-rescue skills before attempting body contact rescue and the need to attain a high standard of physical fitness. During this award, swimmers must complete a continuous swim from entry to finish. The swim can be between 900-1100 metres, including an obstacle swim. The award lasts for two years only. Once confirmed, Sligo Water Safety will publicise details of Water Safety Week 2021.