City of Derry Airport has announced an awareness partnership with the RNLI lifeboat association, to mark the latter’s 200th anniversary.
The RNLI will be marking the anniversary with a series of events across the UK and Ireland.
The partnership with City of Derry Airport aims to increase awareness of the RNLI’s ‘Float to Live’ campaign in the Northwest of Ireland and for passengers arriving into the airport from the UK and beyond.
Linda-Gene Byrne, Regional Water Safety Lead at the RNLI stated: “On average 114 people lose their lives by drowning every year on the Island of Ireland. One of the RNLI’s key objectives is to work with key partners to improve water safety knowledge and drowning prevention. City of Derry Airport working with the RNLI’s water safety team is a hugely important partnership which provides a platform to share the RNLI’s water safety messages. 32% of people do not know what to do if they unexpectedly get into difficulty in the water. This partnership with City of Derry Airport means that every passenger that passes through their Airport has the opportunity to learn how to help / save themselves if they find themselves in an emergency situation in Ireland or abroad. The message from the RNLI and City of Derry Airport is clear, if you get into trouble in the water, Float to Live: tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then call for help or swim to safety if you can.”
Steve Frazer, Managing Director at City of Derry Airport, commented: “We are pleased to support the RNLI and help bring their ‘Float to Live’ campaign and safety messaging to a wider audience in their commemorative year. They provide such a vital role in keeping our local community safe, and visitors travelling throughout the UK and Ireland, and therefore it’s so important that this 200th milestone is recognised and applauded. We look forward to further supporting their campaign throughout the year.”
