Sonar equipment should improve water safety

The City Planning Board commissioned the rescue services to review how water safety can be improved and now the report is ready.

The emergency services analyzed all the drowning and boating accidents between 2010 and 2019 and found that 90 people had been involved in drowning incidents on 62 occasions. Of these 90 people, 14 have died.

- We have seen that 85 per cent of the accidents happen on shallow water and that the problem is poor visibility, says Göran Melin, who is the Deputy Rescue Chief.

Last year was extra dark when six people died, including a boy drowned in Lake Åsas in Taberg and a man in Lake Tahes. Votes were raised for Jönköping Municipality to have its own rescue divers. As it is now, rescue divers from Borås are used if necessary. However, own rescue divers are not an option, says Göran Melin.

- It requires too much effort with the extended training time and that would push away other activities.

Instead, the rescue service wants instead to invest in purchasing sonar equipment, a kind of sonar, and which can read the bottom quickly and efficiently.

- The problem for free divers and rescue divers is that you have to do many dives. With sonar, you can quickly identify objects and people and concentrate your work to the right place.

The rescue service also wants to test infrared cameras, ie heat cameras, and drones to use in the search.

Other suggestions are, for example, campaigns for increased public awareness.

- It is very much about parental responsibility. That non-swimming children no longer go out that they bottom and that the parents are close to the children, says Göran Melin.

- A drowning is not heard. You do not scream when you are drowning. If you do not look exactly at the person who drowns, you will never be able to see.

The rescue service's proposal for measures costs around SEK 800,000. The City Planning Board will decide on the proposal on March 12.