Climate Change: managing the operational impact on fires and other weather-related emergencies

132. Accidental drownings often occur when there is increased water-based leisure activity during warm Summer weather. Warmer Summers could see further increased activity and increased risk.

133. During a hot weekend in July 2021, six accidental drownings occurred across four separate bodies of water. These tragic incidents were reported in the media²⁴ and they highlight the risks involved when undertaking leisure activities in and around open water.

134. Scotland has a water safety action plan to reduce accidental drowning deaths and reduce risk among the highest-risk populations, groups and communities. This involves a multi-agency partnership approach with the SFRS being one of the key partners of Water Safety Scotland, a voluntary association whose main purpose is to understand the risks around water in Scotland and engage with partners to develop a consistent approach to the prevention of water related fatalities.

135. The SFRS developed the Partnership Approach to Water Safety (PAWS) with a focus on improving outcomes in prevention, incident response (training the public on how to safely respond) and a review process which considers factors or trends to improve a focused approach to drowning prevention. PAWS has now become established cross-sector, through Water Safety Scotland delivery.