Proposal for consultation - rescues

In the light of the above we propose and wish to consult you about the following:

Proposal for consultation:

  • To move the Water Safety Unit from Sheppey Fire Station to Rochester Fire Station.

  • Replace the rigid boat currently located on the dock in Strood with a Personal Watercraft (PWC).

Supporting information

  • Most incidents requiring a water safety unit now take place in and around the Strood and Rochester stretch of the River Medway. Between 2019 and 2024 we saw a 235% increase in the number of incidents in the River Medway between Maidstone and Chatham. 

Water rescue – looking ahead

If this consultation proposal is approved, we would undertake further analysis to determine if the benefits of the change merit a similar review of water rescue assets across the county. Any future proposed changes would be subject consultation.

Whilst rescuing people from the water is vital, we want to prevent people getting into difficulty in the first place. We have set up a Water Safety delivery group which is:

  • working to reduce the risk of water rescues being required.
  • working with partner agencies to identify hotspots and understand the circumstances that lead to water rescues being required
  • introducing measures including education, the introduction of physical barriers, and the provision of public use lifesaving equipment.
  • working in tandem with our water response delivery group to ensure that prevention and response actions are complementary.
     
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