A tender has been issued for the installation of “rescue towers” ​​on Al Mairid and Flamingo in Ras Al Khaimah

Neglect is a common factor in beach children's accidents.

  • Leaving children swimming alone can lead to drowning.

    Emirates today

  • A policeman explains safe instructions to a family on the beach.

    Emirates today

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The Department of Public Services in Ras Al Khaimah revealed a tender, in cooperation with the competent authorities, to install rescue and marine ambulance towers on the beaches of Al Mairid and Flamingo, to prevent cases of drowning in them, in addition to providing showers and toilets for beachgoers as part of a plan to develop the emirate's beaches.

The Port Police in Ras Al Khaimah Police confirmed that the most prominent common factor in cases of children drowning in some of the emirate's beaches is the neglect of their parents and their failure to monitor them, claiming that they have the right to enjoy and play in the sea completely freely.

In detail, the director general of the department, Eng. Ahmed Al Hammadi, said that the department, in coordination with the Tourism and Development Authority, has launched two projects to develop the Al-Maarid and Flamingo beaches in Ras Al Khaimah, to prevent cases of drowning and provide more services on both beaches.

During his participation in the "The Watching Eye" program, presented by Ras Al Khaimah Police, Al Hammadi confirmed the implementation of the two projects in the last quarter of this year, pointing to the installation of lighting poles to illuminate the beaches during the night.

He added that some families send their children to the sea accompanied by their young relatives at noon, which exposes them to heat stroke, or to drowning accidents if the waves are high.

Al-Hammadi added that "even if some families are with their children on the beach, they remain preoccupied with them, leaving them swimming alone, without taking into account the possibility of drowning, especially in times witnessing the activity of sea currents."

He called on schools to educate students and their families before the end of the school year, to warn them of the dangers of swimming in the sea during turbulent waves, and that the areas surrounding the breakwaters pose a danger to sea-goers due to the large number of sea eddies.

He said that the department had taken the initiative to install directional boards, which included information about the depth of the sea, dangerous areas, and others allowed to swim in, with the aim of avoiding drowning accidents, pointing to the need to monitor the sea and follow the directional boards before going into the water to avoid dangers.

For his part, the Director of the Monitoring and Follow-up Branch at the Ports Police Department, Major Aref Al-Harnaki, confirmed the preparation of a package of precautionary and security measures to prevent drowning incidents at sea, pointing to the implementation of awareness campaigns on beaches and the deployment of patrols during the weekend.

He explained that many beachgoers are ignorant of the dangers of the sea, and expose themselves to accidents with behaviors that indicate inexperience, without actually realizing the consequences of their actions, stressing that the police concluded, during their investigations into drowning cases that recently occurred on beaches in the emirate, that the common factor between them is Neglecting families and not monitoring children, as many parents believe that children have the right to enjoy and play in the sea without continuing to monitor them, indicating that the greatest responsibility for the safety of the child rests with his parents, as they must take all necessary precautions, including: This is to provide a life jacket for him during his descent to the sea.

He pointed out that some parents insist on carrying their children and entering them into the deep sea areas, without knowing that whenever they enter the sea, their weight decreases and their balance is disturbed by more than 50%, in addition to the fact that entering with children without rescue tools leads to a loss of control over them, and consequently subjected to drowning.

Al-Harnaki warned against excessive self-confidence while going down to the sea, recalling the popular proverb that is always said that “the sea is not safe”, as no person who is not able to swim sufficiently can go long distances in the water.

He explained that “drowning cases usually abound in rocky areas and around the breakwater, because the tidal current occurs in the open beaches, and the currents coming from inside the sea are at an oblique angle on the coast line, and the waves returning from the beach hit them, forming the water mass confined in the beach area and trying to find At an outlet, it returns to the sea at a speed of between three and 10 kilometers per hour, a speed that the best swimmers cannot resist, as the currents sweep away a lot of debris and algae that cannot be detected easily, because the color of the pulling current is different from the normal current.”

He explained that "the tidal current occurs at the breakwater, and that whoever falls in the width of the current should not resist it, but rather swim with it in parallel, as the waves automatically return it to the shore, and this does not mean not to be distressed and to ask for help out loud to save it."

He stressed that the Maritime Rescue Unit in Ras Al Khaimah Police has trainers with ambulance courses and lecturers accredited by the Ministry of Interior, who work with high efficiency, as they have previously carried out many tasks and contributed to saving many lives.

• The Department took the initiative to install directional panels, which included information about the depth of the sea and the dangerous and safe areas.

• The child's parents should take all precautions to ensure his safety, including providing him with a life jacket during his descent to the sea.

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