Boat Safety Week

Written by Apprentice Community Safety Advisor Ruby Abbott

My name is Ruby Abbott and I am an apprentice Community Safety Advisor based at Rochdale community fire station. Last week was ‘national boat safety week’, so CSA Rod Holmes and I decided we would take advantage of the lovely weather and get involved.

We visited several parts of Rochdale canal and Hollingworth Lake in search of boat owners, who we could speak with about fire safety on their boats. Beforehand, we gathered all relevant information including our “safety on boats” booklets, which include all the important fire related information which will apply to boat owners – as well as locals in the area. The booklets also include advice on carbon monoxide, which can sometimes slip people’s minds, despite it being extremely dangerous and just as prevalent on boats as it is in properties.

Over the years, it has also come to the attention of GMFRS that children and adults often get themselves into trouble by going into the water to cool down during warmer weather, so we included “water safety” leaflets to warn people of the dangers of swimming in open water.

As we spoke to more and more boat owners and locals throughout the day, we noticed that some people were aware of the dangers and what to do in the event of a fire as they had heard from us in the past. It was good to know that our advice had been remembered and taken on board. However, a few people were surprised and had very little knowledge of some of the information within the booklets, but we left feeling confident that they would educate themselves with the help of our resources as they responded in a very positive and inquisitive way.

In addition, we also aimed to visit some local businesses such as nearby cafes and pubs, which are likely to attract lots of boat tourists who may also benefit from our advice.

Unfortunately, our camera was broken so we missed many photo opportunities – typical!

A great day in the sunshine was enjoyed by all!