Pam Dillon, Tennant & District Times
Water Safety week at the Tennant Creek pool recently had a real family feel to it. Lots of families came down to the pool to celebrate and learn more about how to be safe in and around water.
Fun activities included boat races, rescue a friend with a rope, colouring competition and meeting up with Boof the Barra and a healthy lunch was provided.
Naomi Briggs RLSNT Remote Services Co-ordinator displayed various Water Safety information and was happy to talk to parents about water safety.
With 339 people drowning in Australia the last financial year 8 of them in the NT. The Water Safety Awareness Program is a Northern Territory Government initiative, as a part of the Five Point Water Safety Plan introduced in 2002 to reduce the rate of drowning and non-fatal drowning among children aged under five years old.
Since 2002, approximately 22,000 NT families have received water safety messages through the program.
The Water Safety Awareness Program provides families with critical education in emergency care, resuscitation skills and water awareness utilising both in and out of water activities.
The program is underpinned by Royal Life Saving’s four key messages specific to reducing drowning among young children:
- Supervision
- Restrict access
- Water familiarisation and
- CPR awareness.
After a fun day in the water all families walked away with some water safety tips when being involved in and around water that one day may safe a life.
This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 30 September 2022.
