A week-long campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of water activities has been joined by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service.

The 'Be Water Aware' campaign runs throughout the week and has been curated by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

Latest statistics from the organisation show that in 2015, 321 people died after tripping, falling or simply underestimating the risks associated with being near water.

Fire services will be giving out advice to people on what they should look for and how to change their behaviour to minimise their risk of becoming one of these statistics.

CFOA's water safety leader Dawn Whittaker said: "Most people would be shocked to hear that those people drowning just happen to be near water such as runners, walkers and people fishing.

"They are unaware of the risks and are totally unprepared for the scenario of ending up in the water.

"By highlighting this issue and making sure simple safety messages reach them we hope to reduce the number of these needless deaths.

"The fire service has successfully reduced the number of fire deaths by focussing on prevention work and now we must apply the same principle to tackling drowning. Response is not enough - we must prevent drownings.”

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service will be supporting the drowning prevention and water safety week by working with partners from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Mersey Ferries to deliver a series of briefings and demonstrations to schoolchildren at the Pier Head in Liverpool and on the Mersey Ferry.

Station manager John O’Boyle said: “Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service are called out to incidents involving rescue from water on a frequent basis.

"Some of these are people who have deliberately entered the water, either in a distressed state, or possibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs but many people do so accidentally.

“We would urge people engaging in activities near water such as running, dog walking or angling to be especially careful to stay safe.

"If you are involved in water sports or activities, make sure that you are well prepared, with the correct safety equipment and a good idea of weather conditions.

"If you have been for a night out, bear in mind that if you have been drinking, your judgement of risk may be affected, take a safe route home away from water.”

The fire service has issued the following top tips:
• Always tell someone where you are going and what time to expect you back 
• Check tide times and weather reports and note any changes expected 
• Bring with you some basic safety equipment, including: 
 - Some form of communication- mobile phones are not always the best option as they are not always water resistant, robust or have a good signal, particularly if sailing offshore. 
- Life jackets for all your party, making sure they are worn correctly. 
Warm clothing even if initial weather conditions are good- weather can change quickly.