Essex County Fire and Rescue Service leads the way in promoting water safety during Be Water Aware Week

With warm, sunny weather sweeping across Essex this week, many people are heading to the county’s beautiful beaches, rivers and lakes to enjoy the outdoors. While it's the perfect time to cool off and relax, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) is reminding everyone to stay safe near water by taking a few simple, potentially life-saving precautions.

Stay safe around water by...

• Never swim alone in case you need help
• Don’t drink alcohol when undertaking water related activities. It impairs judgement and your ability to swim
• Avoid walking routes near water if you have been drinking alcohol
• Don’t dive or jump straight into open water. It can cause potentially fatal cold water shock, even on the warmest day
• Actively supervise children in and around water - drowning can happen quickly and silently
• If you find yourself unexpectedly in the water, don’t panic. Extend your arms and legs out and float on your back until the effect of cold water shock pass
• Never enter the water to try and rescue someone. Call 999 and ask for the Fire Service if you're inland or the Coastguard if you're at the coast

It’s a timely reminder, as this week is Be Water Aware Week, led by the National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) and supported by all fire services across the country.

Louise Curtis, Road and Water Manager at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It’s a great opportunity for us to share our stay safe advice as well as highlighting our year-round commitment to preventing incidents in the water and saving lives through education, engagement and partnerships. We are proud to work with schools, businesses, and communities to help prevent drownings and raise awareness of water dangers. Whether it’s through education packs, community events, or training schemes, our message is clear: respect the water and know how to stay safe."

Water safety lesson packs for schools

This year, the Essex Water Safety Forum has produced over 200 water safety lesson packs and materials. These resources are being sent to primary schools and school holiday club providers across Essex to help educate key water safety messages to young people. This initiative is an extra resources for schools as well as the in-person education sessions that can be requested by schools and delivered by ECFRS’s Education team. 

Since September 2024 , the team have already delivered 44 water safety sessions and continues to offer free lessons and assemblies to schools to reinforce vital summer safety messages.

Taking water safety on the move

This summer, ECFRS will once again be supporting the popular ‘Seaside Special’ train events, where firefighters and prevention teams engage with families travelling to Essex’s coastal towns. These events offer a unique opportunity to provide water safety advice before visitors even reach the seafront, as well as in-person engagement at busy seaside locations throughout the summer.

Waterside Responder Scheme

Following its successful launch in 2024, ECFRS has expanded its Waterside Responder Scheme, which equips businesses and staff near open water with life-saving skills and knowledge. Since the scheme launched last Be Water Aware week in 2024, the team have delivered five training sessions, trained 28 members of schools and secured additional bookings for 2025, helping even more businesses become part of this lifesaving network.

Partnerships

Recognising the importance of sharing safety messages with tourists, ECFRS is working closely with Visit Essex to explore new ways of delivering water safety advice to hotels, holiday parks, and popular visitor attractions. This work supports a core objective of the Essex Water Safety Forum: keeping both residents and visitors safe during their time in the county.

For more information on water safety or to request a visit or education session, visit: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/water

Photo: Daisy from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service's Water Safety team with Liam from the RNLI, photo taken from the launch of the Water Safety Resource Packs for schools, April 2025.