Community & Business
17 January, 2023
Swim with care this wet season
AUTHORITIES are pleading with locals to take care when swimming on the region’s waterways during the wet season after a number of recent search and rescues.
Queensland Police Service, De-part of Environmental Services, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Queensland Ambulance Service have issued the warning to locals, advising that search and rescue operations are expansive, exhaustive, expensive and emotional multi-agency responses.
Police want everyone to be mindful of conditions when swimming, as dangerous flash flooding can happen without warning at any time of year, even on a sunny day.
QPS Far North District Country Eastern Patrol Inspector Brad Winks said all officers involved in a search and rescue operation put their lives on the line.
“Specialist teams are flown in from across the state to search in dangerous conditions, often for days at a time,” he said.
“No officer wants to be the one to then knock on a family’s door to say their loved one won’t be coming home.”
Locals are asked to follow the rules and signage at swimming spots, supervise their children, be mindful of strong water currents even when the surface appears calm, leave the water if the level changes or the water colour changes, be careful of slippery rocks and slopes, and never jump or dive into water as there may be submerged objects.
Police also warn that people who swim in restricted areas could face fines of up to $431.
