Authors: Raimonds Gekišs (Latvian Television)
With the arrival of summer, thousands of people – especially the younger ones – enjoy recreation at lakes, rivers and the sea.
However, irresponsible behavior or ignoring safety rules can turn a pleasant swim into an irreversible tragedy in an instant, as evidenced by Latvia’s consistently appalling record when it comes to the number of drownings that occur every year.
Rescuers and lifeguards are reminding the public that their ability to help after a report of an accident is very limited, because drowning occurs very quickly, and special attention must be paid to preventing critical situations from developing in the first place, reports Latvian Television.
If there is a call that a person is drowning, the rescuer can actually do almost nothing, because drowning occurs in a few seconds, Jānis Skrims, head of the Rescue and Public Order Department of the Riga Municipal Police (RPP), emphasized in a conversation with Latvian Television’s “Sporta Studija” programme.
Only In very rare cases is it possible to resuscitate someone pulled from the water, said Skrims.
Parents should remember that children should not be left unattended near the water, even for a short time, and it is best to swim only in official swimming areas where lifeguards are present.
“Situations often happen that parents also set the wrong example. First of all, parents themselves should think about it – am I really doing the right thing, that I come to the swimming pool with a beer and my child sees it,” emphasized Jānis Skrims, pointing out that in 60% of cases people drowned while intoxicated.
The situation in Latvian waters is catastrophic – about 130 people drown every year. We are frequently in first place in Europe in terms of the number of drownings per capita, and despite similar publicity campaigns stressting safety every year, the tragedies continue.
Zane Gemze, head of the “Swim Safely” association, emphasizes swimming training as a fundamental matter.
“Children are taught an understanding of water when they learn to swim. They will be able to help themselves in a situation if they get into trouble,” explained Zane Gemze. “The primary thing is that they do not get into a situation at all where an accident can occur. If we lack this basic element, then we cannot [reduce the negative statistics] any further, because through this provision of swimming lessons, public education is already taking place, education of parents. Children understand what they can or cannot do.”
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 14 years of age – these figures indicate serious problems in swimming skills and understanding of water safety.
“Latvia is not in a worse situation than Estonia or Lithuania. The only difference is that Lithuania, five years ago, and Estonia around the same time, made the decision to start mandatory swimming lessons in all schools. They allocated two million [euros] from the state budget for this and began systematically providing swimming lessons to children,” Zane Gemze emphasized. “We live in the myth that Latvia is unique in this [situation]. Latvia is not unique – Latvia is simply not doing anything to change it.”
The “Swim Safely” association has been actively working to promote swimming skills and educate the public for the seventh year. Zane Gemze also emphasizes the importance of swimming equipment such as lifesaving buoyancy rings at swimming spots and information boards giving precise location information if the emergency services need to be summoned by calling 112 .
Jelena Rutka, a trainer at the “Swim Safely” association, believes that everyone needs to change their thinking so that things change in the country and new unwanted records in the number of drownings are not reached.
Public education is a key factor, says Jeļena Rutka. The goal is to achieve change through lectures, classes, and projects.
“Water, of course, is a fun place where we have a great time, but we each have our own head, everyone must act accordingly, appropriately, and think about the [possible] consequences,” emphasized Rutka.
