A vital reminder.
Fire and Rescue Galway have urged locals to contact them immediately if they see someone fall into the River Corrib, or other waterways.
In a post shared by the Connacht Tribune, members of Fire and Rescue Galway have warned people of the dangers of the extremely fast-flowing River Corrib, while reminding everyone that they should be the first service called.
Here is the statement:
“If you see anyone fall or enter the water and are in trouble, please ring 999 or 112 as quickly as you can and request the Fire Service.
“We are the only emergency service to have the equipment and who are trained in Swift Water Rescue, and our early notification will enable us to be deployed much quicker and hopefully get to the person in danger in time.
“By all means, call the other services too, but our early notification is vital. Once we are alerted we will call all other services anyway including the Galway Lifeboat.
“Often in the past for some unknown reason we are the last service to be called and often it is too late by then, so please share this information with your friends and families.
“People may not realise that the River Corrib is the fastest flowing River in Europe that passes through a city, and especially at this time of the year its very dangerous to enter it.
“If you see someone go in and are in trouble, we do not recommend going in after them; you may quickly find yourself in serious trouble yourself,” they said.
The passionate appeal comes after the tragedy in Buncrana, where five people were killed when their car fell into Lough Swilly.
Cover image via the Connacht Tribune.
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