New Water Safety Centre for Excellence opens at Twickenham Fire Station
The new centre aims to educate and encourage safe engagement with the River Thames, and is part of the London Fire Bridge’s push on water safety following the tragic loss of 14-year-old Brian Sasu in 2022.
Pupils from Brian’s former school, St Mark’s in Hounslow, were invited alongside his family to Twickenham Fire Station for a bespoke water safety event led by the LFB education team. The session for Year 7 pupils is designed to help them stay safe when spending time near water over the holidays.
Borough Commander for Richmond, Rob Davies, demonstrated Twickenham’s new Big River Flume to show pupils hidden dangers within the Thames. Donated by JBA Trust to support the new water safety centre, the Big River Flume uses a range of natural and man-made river features such as bridges, rocks and weirs to show how water behaves in the Thames and how currents can quickly become dangerous.
The event also provided an opportunity for pupils to learn about the unseen dangers of the river such as cold water shock. Students toured the fire station and learned how to use the throwline bags installed along the 22.5-mile stretch of the Thames. They were also taught about the Float to Live technique, a five-step process to improve survival chances in an emergency, and were given suggestions for enjoying the water safely.
You can watch the news coverage here to learn more about the background to the centre and the ongoing water safety campaign by Brian Sasu’s family.
London Fire Brigade is continuing to work closely with schools, encouraging them to place importance on water safety education, and is beginning work to expand delivery of their water safety sessions to further year groups in partnership with Richmond Council, the RNLI and the Met Police.
Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service, Jules Pipe, said: “When temperatures soar, it’s tempting to cool off in open water but swimming in the Thames, London’s canals and waterways can be extremely dangerous. That’s why London Fire Brigade’s life-saving education programme to help young people stay safe around water this summer is so important. Brian Sasu was just 14 when he drowned swimming in the Thames and it is vital we do all we can to prevent a further tragedy. We are hugely grateful to Brian’s family for supporting LFB’s campaign to educate young Londoners and save lives.”
Joanne Coles, Trustee of JBA Trust, said: “As a local mum of two young boys, I know the importance of raising awareness of the risks in the water environment and how to stay safe, so I was really pleased to attend the opening of the new water safety centre on behalf of JBA Trust. The centre is a great way of engaging with young people and using visual demonstrations like the big river flume flume to show the dangers that may be hidden in the river. Education and awareness are critical to help prevent future tragedies. Thank you to all involved for your hard work and dedication in setting up such a vital resource.”
There are learning resources available to download on London Fire Brigade’s website to help parents when talking to children about keeping safe around water.
To find out more about river safety, you can watch a demonstration of the water safety flume in this video that we created with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Services.