Summer temperatures attract many bathers to the Saxon waters. But the number of swimming accidents increases with the temperatures. The DLRG warns against carelessness – and complains about a lack of young people.
Dresden (dpa / sn) – The beginning of the bathing season again presents the lifeguards in Saxony with major challenges. “There are currently around 800 to 900 lifeguards on duty. To ensure adequate security, twice as many would be needed,” said the managing director of the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) in Saxony, Sebastian Knabe.
Because of Corona, hardly any offspring could be acquired in the past two years. In addition, swimming training at schools has also suffered from the pandemic. “The situation of swimming training is precarious. It could happen that the current generation of non-swimmers will be reflected in the drowning statistics in the future,” said Knabe.
Last year, 23 people drowned in Saxony, 11 of them in lakes and 8 in rivers. Except for one person, the drowned are all men. According to the DLRG, this is mainly due to the fact that men often take a higher risk than women. Bathers should be aware of the dangers. Especially in former gravel and lignite opencast mines, sand slides with enormous natural forces can occur again and again.
The DLRG in Saxony ensures the safety of bathers at 32 fixed locations, for example at the Markleebergersee near Leipzig, at the Blaue Lagune near Görlitz or at the Olbersdorfer See near Zittau. In addition, a mobile station is permanently in use, depending on where the communities report a danger point, explained Knabe.
On the other hand, there are no lifeguards on duty on the rivers. Therefore, the DLRG expressly warns against bathing in running water, especially because the current is many times higher there. In addition, excessive alcohol consumption should be avoided, as this leads to poorer reaction times.