Water safety activity at Cardiff Bay Aqua Park
On Monday 24th June, a multi-agency task force attended the Cardiff Bay Aqua Park to participate in a water safety and rescue exercise, co-ordinated by WM Richard Ball and SM Nathan Rees-Taylor.
The exercise saw active participation from a range of agencies including the coastguard, RNLI, paramedics, members of the police, ambulance service, and crews from Cardiff Central, Barry, and Penarth Stations. Simulated emergencies on and around the inflatable park were fabricated in order for the teams to practice their collective capability to respond efficiently and effectively to water-related emergencies.
Water safety is a prime concern for our crews, especially during the summer months. Richie Matthews, Training and Development Watch Manager, explains why:
“We’re just coming into a heatwave now, and that’s when our number of water-related incidents typically spike. People jump into bodies of water trying to cool off, but they don’t realise the water isn’t warm at this time of year.
“The cold-water shock and the risk of drowning are high, even in shallow bodies of water. My advice for those wanting to enjoy the water is to visit parks like this, where you are given a personal flotation device, and will be watched over by those with medical training in case the worst happens.”
South Wales is one of the few Services which has a statutory duty for inland water responsibility – including rivers, lakes, and quarries – which are unfortunately prime spots for jumpers.
Crews from the Stations around Cardiff with water safety facilities arrived to assist the ‘injured’ members of the public, splitting up and dividing the 19 casualties between them. Equipped with water rescue equipment including boats, an underwater camera, inflatable stretchers and floating lines, the crews expertly divided and managed the casualties utilising recognised triage methods.
Richie added:
“We’ve had incidents where people have jumped into Cardiff Bay not realising that how much rubbish and detritus is below the surface of the water to get injured by or tangled in. The area around the aqua park has been cleared, so it’s much less likely that you’re going to be able to hurt yourself here.”
Station Manager for Penarth and Cardiff, Nathan Rees-Taylor, said:
“This exercise allowed us to simulate various critical scenarios, including a cardiac arrest, water rescues, suspected spinal and pelvic injuries, missing persons in the water, and multiple injuries requiring simultaneous medical attention.
“We were really happy with how this training exercise went, and it’s a testament to the strong partnerships we have built, as well as the continuous commitment to improving our water safety protocols. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone involved for their hard work and professionalism. Your efforts have not only enhanced our preparedness, but have also reinforced our shared mission to ensure the safety and well-being of the public.”
The aqua park, which opened in 2019, organises safety days once a year. Manager Georgina said:
“We’re a summer business, so we’re not open all-year round, but we do all our own in-house training. It’s good for the team to be able to practice major incident training with our partners like this to get a feel for how they should react. Thankfully we haven’t had an incident where we’ve had to call the Fire Service yet, but it’s important to keep refreshing the skills, as you never know when they might be needed.”
Special thanks go out to Nathan Rees-Taylor and Richard Ball for the organisation of this event.
To find out more about water safety advice, see our website https://www.southwales-fire.gov.uk/your-safety-wellbeing/your-community/water-safety/
