Autumn Water Safety Rules for Adults and Children

In autumn, the activity of vacationers by the water has decreased. However, on weekends, it is still possible to encounter those wishing to spend their leisure time by water bodies.

In autumn, the activity of vacationers by the water has decreased. However, on weekends, it is still possible to encounter those wishing to spend their leisure time by water bodies. To avoid accidents in the autumn period, it is necessary to be especially careful and observe elementary rules of conduct on the water. Special attention should be paid to the prevention of incidents on water bodies involving children. Left unsupervised, without knowledge of safety measures, children start playing near the water – such uncontrolled pastime leads to deplorable consequences.

In autumn, the water temperature is only 6-10°C, and if a person suddenly finds themselves in the water, wet clothes will immediately drag them down, and the cold water will restrict their movements. It can be quite difficult to save oneself in such a situation. It should be remembered that body cooling in water proceeds more intensively than in air, since the thermal conductivity of water is 27 times higher than that of air.

We remind parents: if you are relaxing on the shore with young children, the first and most important rule is that preschool-aged children must always be near adults; be especially vigilant, do not leave them alone by the water unsupervised. Try to choose places for games and entertainment far from steep banks, from which one can accidentally fall into cold water.

Do not allow children to ride on homemade rafts, boards, or logs.

If you are using a small vessel (inflatable boat, small motorboat) for recreation, you must remember the following:

– Children may only be on a small vessel if their number corresponds to the number of adults who can swim;

– All persons on board must wear life jackets;

– Boarding and disembarking from the boat should be done one person at a time, stepping carefully in the middle of the deck;

– The helmsman of the vessel must always look forward and to the sides to avoid collisions;

– The side of a small vessel should not be placed parallel to an oncoming wave (broadside to the wave) – you should head into the wave;

– If a small vessel capsizes, the first priority is to assist those who cannot swim.

To ensure safety on small vessels, it is prohibited to:

– operating a small vessel while intoxicated, without life-saving equipment, in windy weather or after dark;

– operating a vessel with a mechanical defect;

– overloading the vessel;

– transferring from one vessel to another while in motion;

– sitting on the sides of the vessel;

– rocking the vessel;

– standing up fully and jumping from the vessel into the water;

– grabbing tree branches and other objects while in motion.

Adherence to basic water safety measures will allow you to spend time by the water safely.

If you witness an incident on the water, provide assistance within your capabilities and report it to the "101, 112" service.

Head of the Lepel Rescue Station, I.A. Mikhno