With a change in season promising to draw more people to Wales’ rivers, lakes and coastlines, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) is preparing for a surge in activity by urging the public to stay safe around water.
Crews’ message to the public is clear – stay back from the water’s edge, think twice before entering unfamiliar or fast‑moving water, and call 999 immediately if someone is in trouble.
In the last 12 months, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) crews have responded to 46 water‑related emergencies, most involving people already in the water or at immediate risk, particularly in fast‑moving rivers and tidal channels.
Ahead of the busy summer months, firefighters have been undertaking intensive training at Cardiff International White Water Centre, where controlled but highly challenging conditions allow crews to practise in flows of up to six cubic metres per second – the maximum safe working limit.
During the course, crews practised a wide range of specialist techniques, including:
- Tethered swims
- Multiple rope system set‑ups
- Pendulum techniques
- Refreshing knowledge of eddies – slow‑moving recirculating water often found around submerged vehicles
As the statutory authority for inland water rescue across the Service area, firefighters rely on these skills for a wide range of incidents, from people swept away in fast‑moving floodwater to children swimming in quarries and reservoirs, intoxicated individuals falling into rivers or canals, and vehicles trapped or partially submerged during flooding.
Understanding how different vehicles behave in water is also increasingly important. For example, electric vehicles can often travel through deeper water than petrol or diesel cars, which affects how crews approach rescues.
Watch Manager and Instructor, Peter Parks, highlights the value of the Olympic‑standard white water rafting centre:
“This facility is particularly fantastic for enabling us to work with trapped and submerged cars, an increasingly common scenario in South Wales with the recent influx of flooding.”
He adds that firefighters always aim to avoid putting people into the water unless absolutely necessary: following the established in‑water rescue hierarchy: Shout, Reach, Throw, Row, Wade, Go (swim), Helicopter.
“If we can secure a vehicle and the occupants can safely climb onto the roof, we’ll recover them using a sled, throw bag or ladder. Those are always our first options,” he concludes.
