PEOPLE across the kingdom are stepping up to aid the community in more ways than one, whether it’s to ensure that someone’s summer goes swimmingly or promoting safety at events.
The Royal Life Saving Bahrain (RLSB) charity organisation, which was founded in 2016 by chairperson Shaikha Nayla bint Hamad bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, continues to prevent drowning-related deaths and injuries.
“As part of our commitment to the community, we recognise the critical role that lifesaving volunteers play in achieving our mission and vision,” said RLSB general manager Sam Rahman.
“We launched our volunteer lifesaver service called ‘There’s more than 1 way to be a lifesaver’ last year, and partnered with a range of organisations with our Safer Community Partnership to expand our volunteer team.
“This programme aligns perfectly with our mission and vision by providing quality training, support and recognition to a growing network of skilled volunteers who will help us create a safer Bahrain.”
The RLSB currently has 160 trained volunteer lifesavers who perform a variety of roles within the organisation, from helping to deliver educational programmes in schools and at beaches, to providing first-aid support at events across the country.
They also support the lifeguards on the six beaches where RLSB provides lifeguard service. The volunteers are aged between 16 and 60, and come from a variety of nationalities and careers.
“Our volunteers undertake a range of certified training courses in lifesaving for free,” aid Mr Rahman.
“We conduct a range of activities and education programmes across the country, where volunteers can come along and put their training into action. We also provide volunteer first-aiders and water safety at triathlons and non-water related events.”
The RLSB also offers an eight-week programme for free, through sponsorship from companies, to children currently attending government schools as part of the Rookie Junior Beach Lifesaving programme. It’s open for children aged five to 16.
While every programme and course helps in making safer surroundings for all, Mr Rahman urges people to still be vigilant.
“We are aware of five drownings that occurred in the last year, which is less than we have seen in previous years, although we strongly believe that even one life lost to drowning is too many,” he said.
“However, as we head into summer, this is the time of year where we typically see the highest number of drowning and water-related incidents.”
This is where the RSLB’s ‘Hire a Lifeguard’ comes into play. It’s a service provided to those having a swimming event or party where they can hire internationally certified lifeguards on an hourly basis to help ensure the safety of their guests.
“Over the past two years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of people from the community who are using this service.”
The GDN had reported in July last year that there were seven fatal drowning tragedies in 2020 and five in 2021, alongside four non-fatal incidents in 2020 and one in 2021.
In February, Mr Rahman had said that his team had made 411 rescues from six semi-private beaches.
According to reports, since November 2021, 487,621 people had visited the beaches with 28,514 preventative actions being performed by lifeguards.
Also there was a total of 512 first-aid incidents, ranging from cuts to heart attacks, and 411 rescues were performed.
He added that 14 new lifeguards have been recruited for the upcoming summer season as their mission is to promote safe water recreation, build cohesive communities, enable economic development and save lives.
People can email info@rlsbahrain.org for information on programmes and how to become a volunteer.
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