Reach and Rescue has public rescue equipment in over 25 cities in the UK and is finally heading to the capital, thanks to lastminute.com. They will be installing their portsafes in the pontoons beneath the London Eye to reduce to risk of death by drowning in the River Thames (sponsored byLastminute.com).
In 2018, 30 people drowned in the River Thames, accounting for 8% of drowning- related deaths nationally. (PLA, 2019)
The tragic event of drowning can cause devastation across communities.
Each needless loss of life however can be used as a catalyst and inspiration to attempt to stop any furthersuch tragedies from occurring. National guidance from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents states: “Public rescue equipment is an additional mitigation that may afford the victim extra time or support to enable rescue.”
Portsafe provides emergency services and members of the public a crucial opportunity to conduct swift and directionally accurate rescues by giving them permanent access to effective rescue equipment that is designed to retrieve casualties in the water from a safe distance. The system, therefore, minimises the danger posed to the rescuer whilst boosting casualty survival chances.
Portsafe is proven to save lives. After only two days in situ, a portsafe with a telescopicrescue pole was successfully used by a police officer to save a member of the public from drowning in Bedford.
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