Rules for safe behavior on and near water bodies

July 7, 2021

Among the main causes of accidents on water is a gross violation of safety rules.

Among the main causes of accidents on water is a gross violation of safety rules. Quite often, swimming in water bodies not adapted and not equipped for these purposes ends tragically. There are many cases when some people, showing off their skills, swim far from the shore, dive and jump into the water in unfamiliar places. As a result of such actions, one can not only die, but also end up in a wheelchair for life due to injuries sustained from impacts.

On April 26 at 10:56, rescuers received a report that a person was in the Ushaсha River in the agro-town of Rudnya, Polotsk district. Units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Polotsk city-district department for emergency situations were sent to the scene. On the way to the emergency site, the squad leader managed to put on a diving suit and prepared a rope to provide assistance to the drowning person in the first seconds. Upon arrival of the rescuers, the man was in the water at a distance of about 4 m from the shore, holding onto a fallen tree. The rescuer immediately jumped into the water, embraced the man with his arms, and those who remained on the shore for safety pulled him ashore. Visually, it was clear that the man was very cold; the rescuers removed some of his clothes, covered him, and rubbed his arms and legs until the ambulance arrived. Upon arrival of the medics, the man was hospitalized with a diagnosis of general hypothermia. As it turned out a little later, the rescued man, born in 1981, was unemployed and lived in the village of Farinovo, Polotsk district.

On May 19 at 17:51, the operational control center of the Verkhnedvinsk district department for emergency situations received a report that 3 people were drowning in the Western Dvina River near Korvat Street in Verkhnedvinsk. A combat crew of the fire and rescue unit No. 1 of the Verkhnedvinsk district department for emergency situations was immediately dispatched to the scene. Within a few minutes, rescuers were on the river bank. Visually

There was no one on the water surface. Eyewitnesses who met the MES employees explained that two people – a man and a woman – were carried away by the current, a third person got out of the water himself and left the scene, and the boat in which they were trying to cross the river sank. After surveying the river waters, rescuers saw people floating downstream at a distance of about 200 meters from the shore. They immediately launched a boat, took a lifebuoy, rope, and vests with them, and headed for the drowning people. Reaching the victims and throwing them a lifebuoy, the MES employees pulled the man and woman out of the water and delivered them to the shore. Visually, the rescued individuals were heavily intoxicated and could not explain anything about what had happened. They were examined by medics and hospitalized with a general diagnosis of hypothermia. As it turned out later, the MES employees rescued a local resident, a man born in 1975, and a pensioner, a resident of the Miory district, born in 1962.

June 1 at 11:55, rescuers received a report from the duty officer of the Department of Internal Affairs that a person was drowning in the Drissa River near Sovetskaya Street in the town of Verkhnedvinsk. Fire and rescue unit No. 1 of the Verkhnedvinsk District Department for Emergency Situations was immediately dispatched to the scene. When the rescuers arrived at the scene, there was no one on the water surface. A fisherman stood on the other bank and said that the woman had been carried away by the current. Wading into the water, at a distance of about 40 meters, the MES employees saw a woman on the water surface. Tying himself with a rope, one of the rescuers went to her and pulled her ashore.
The woman was conscious the whole time; the rescuers handed her over to the ambulance crew. After examination, the rescued woman, born in 1992, was hospitalized.

Thus, we see that water is indeed a dangerous element that forgives no one's mistakes. And if safety rules are not followed, both those who cannot swim and those who can swim well can drown. Accidents can happen on both large and small bodies of water, and the main cause of their occurrence is human carelessness.

Unfortunately, quite often during long school holidays, children are left to themselves and, when warm days arrive, they are drawn to the water. At this time, adults need to be especially attentive, because it doesn't take long for misfortune to strike, and it doesn't matter how old

whether a child is a preschooler or a teenager, swimming and playing near bodies of water they should only be under adult supervision. Unfortunately, after a tragedy has occurred, nothing can be corrected or returned, so it is better to take all safety measures in a timely manner, organize reasonable leisure for your children, and most importantly – under no circumstances leave them unattended even for a minute.

In case of an emergency situation, call 101 and 112.