Inland Waterways - the Cost of Messing About on the River

Northern Ireland is blessed with some beautiful lakeland and coastal scenery so if it's a nice day, many of us enjoy visiting areas like the Fermanagh Lakelands or North Coast. There is however a much darker side to our contact with water. In 2014, a total of 338 people drowned in the UK from accidental or natural causes. Only 14 of these deaths occurred in the open sea. 102 occurred close into the coast. 32 died in canals, 29 in lakes and 100 in rivers, streams and burns. Many did not intend to be in the water at all – the most common activity before drowning was walking or running alongside water. So far, I have only counted accidental and natural causes-suicidal intent accounted for a further 210 water-related UK deaths in 2014. 1 The Coastguard (officially the Maritime and Coastguard Agency – MCA) and RNLI respond to emergencies at sea and close inshore, but who looks after emergencies above the tidal high water mark, i.e., in rivers and waterways? A standard 999 call is the way to summon help, but the Police and other statutory emergency services can call on or " task " voluntary search and rescue groups when required-this includes Mountain and Cave rescue teams with specialist high altitude and subterranean skills and equipment. Everything below the mountains and above the sea (or caves) falls into the category of Lowland Search and Rescue (LSAR). 2 In the Province, there are several voluntary Search and Rescue groups who support the emergency services. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Association is a forum composed of the major groups and the statutory emergency services who regulate activities. Community Rescue Service was formed in 2007 and as well as assisting with water rescue, members are trained in rural and urban search, for example, providing search teams to assist the Police if an elderly or vulnerable person goes missing. Often, rural searches include waterlogged culverts, ponds and drainage ditches. They cover a wide area including the River Bann and adjacent North Coast, Antrim Glens, Newry Canal, Strabane and Craigavon. 3 Lagan Search and Rescue supports operations in Belfast Harbour and the Lagan as far inland as Lisburn. 4 Given the landlocked nature of Loughs Neagh and Erne, it is perhaps surprising to learn that the Coastguard is the statutory emergency service for any incidents on the water. RNLI maintains a lifeboat on …